He Said She Said PV Group Closed

Private thread with @Martyna Romero and @Wyatt Starkey

Mentioning @Katherine Labrouder @Cassandra Ironwoods @Dealla Prince

As she expected, there's only a handful of students in the library - which was not that surprising - most students would be at the Great Hall or their own common room at this time. A perfect time for her club to start it's activity.

The Gossip Association

Arissa didn't know when did it start, but somehow The Gossip Association was created, with her as the president, and Martyna Romero as the vice.

One wouldn't believe that Arissa Wright would associate herself with someone like Martyna Romero, a Hufflepuff and a Muggleborn with common backgrounds but somehow, they fit. Their penchant for gossips has caused Arissa to at least, tolerate the other girl's presence.

At the very least, that girl was not as annoying as a few others that Arissa had come across.

She stealthily makes her way to the venue of their meeting, where the familiar figure of her vice president greeted her - a frown appeared on Arissa's face at the lack of grace the Hufflepuff presented, but she ignored it in favor of greeting the girl in question.

"Miss Romero."

Grey eyes found themselves scanning her surroundings once more - nearby tables, behind the shelves - making sure that no one - especially those with Slytherin ties, caught her extracurricular activity with what was considered to be... an object of scorn among some of the Pureblood society. When she found none, she proceed to sat down gracefully on the seat opposite of the girl.

Nodding curtly at the other girl, she remarked, "Before we start this... meeting of ours, do you mind wiping off your cheeks? There's a bit of crumbs near your face."

Arissa didn't even bother to hide the unimpressed look marred on her face, as she leaned onto the chair while crossing her arms.

Her eyes darted to the note she gave the Hufflepuff - written in a neat handwriting was the subjects of today's discussion - she knew that Miss Romero would be questioning the mathods she used to acquire this intel of hers, but she wouldn't divulge anything.

"Now that you're done with that, let's go to the next agenda, shall we?"

The first in the list - a story of a Gryffindor girl choking a Ravenclaw boy in an abandoned toilets. Somehow, Arissa found herself feeling slightly guilty, which truly astounded her. Did she knew the boy? At this point, no one knew the victim of the infamous Katherine Labrouder, and Arissa herself didn't forge any friendship with said girl to ask for more information. But she knew that girl was dangerous, well suited as a Slytherin - but somehow landed herself into Gryffindor. Well, perhaps her aggressive side contribute to her placement, not that Arissa cared much about it.

The second one, Dealla Prince. Not much known about her as she was an upper class man, but the rumor about her cheating on the exams sure had Arissa's attention, and she was placed in the list.

Arissa rarely get involved in someone else's private life - she still had her moral standards despite many to believe otherwise - so the talk of her Slytherin's upper-class man, had her stuck in a tight spot. However, this rumor has spread through the ears of Hogwarts students, and she placed in in her list as well.

After scanning it did she remarked,"I have to say, while this rumor is very impressive, it's a bit subpar compared to what I heard from several of my upper-class men. Last year's gossip, was very, very scandalous, a complete feast for our club to chew. Have you heard of it? Or did Hufflepuff was too good to get themselves involved in such a dangerous chat? "

Arissa shot the other girl a sly, conspiratorial smirk as she waited for the girl's response.

[font=times new roman]Wyatt usually stayed away from the library, especially since the last time he was there for some peace and quiet, someone felt the need to engage in conversation with him. Insert shudder here. This time, though, Wyatt wasn’t here for peace and quiet. He was here to do some studying. The Snake had a charms test coming up, a test which he didn’t exactly want to fail. Charms had proved to be little more difficult this year because nothing was allowed to be easy. The library seemed deserted though, and for that, Wyatt was very grateful.

Obviously, Wyatt didn’t spend this much time in the library. He probably looked like an idiot trying to find the charms books. The library was quiet and peaceful most of the time, but he’d always hated reading so he’d look plain stupid sitting around and staring off into space. The sound of the door slowly creaking open irritated Wyatt. The library had been relatively empty, but of course it couldn’t last. That creak was followed by another. He had to remind himself that the library wasn’t just his.

The Slytherin never looked up to see who was there, he only kept his head down in a charms textbook. He’d already spotted one of the Gryffindors that liked to push him around and was really hoping the kid didn’t see him too. No matter how hard Wyatt tried, he simply couldn’t focus. Not with the thought of that Gryffindor causing a scene. Not with the idea he’ll fail his upcoming test. Not with the thought that he won’t have a mom to be disappointed in him about it. That wound was still quite fresh.

It didn’t take long for Wyatt to give up. He should’ve known it was useless from the start. Well, maybe he did but these days he was trying to be better despite his brain telling him to stay the worst. It never really worked out. He stood up, grabbed the textbook from the desk, and started to walk back to where he found the textbook. There were two girls chatting about some agenda but Wyatt couldn’t find it in him to care. As he tried to make up his mind between going to have lunch or hiding out in the common room until it was time for his next class, he put the charms book back in its place.

_{@Martyna Romero @Arissa Wright}

Interacting with @Arissa Wright & @Wyatt Starkey

"Miss Romero."

Martyna snapped her head up from the paper before her as her name was called out, dark eyes glimmering nervously. Arissa acted just like a professor with the way she said the Hufflepuff's name! It was sort of terrifying, but also really impressive. Tina had never met an eleven year old with such an authoritative and mature, yet calming voice. Her mouth spread into an open grin, showing she was present and ready to... gossip.

"Before we start this... meeting of ours, do you mind wiping off your cheeks? There's a bit of crumbs near your face."

Ah crap! Tina slapped a hand over her mouth, crippled with embarrassment as she swiped away any stray crumbs that might have clung to her face, her cheeks dusted red. She couldn't keep messing up like this in front of the president of their (two-person) club! "Um, sorry Arissa!" she said sheepishly, trying not to feel to upset by the impervious look she was receiving from the other girl. The power dynamic between the two of them was noticeably unbalanced, but how could it not be? One of them was basically an aristocrat.

Tina allowed Arissa to take the sheet and re-familiarise herself with its contents, unable to keep her eyes from wandering whilst the other girl was distracted. As you'd expect, the library was pretty empty at this time. Everyone was too busy spending what little free time they had off with friends, or eating a more substantial meal in the main hall.

Well, not quite everyone.

Tina had a habit of gawking at people she found interesting. A skinny, pale boy with shocking dark hair and eyes had just rounded the corner, charms book in hand. He barely spared either of the girls a second glance, but Tina couldn't take her eyes off him, the silence of the library almost compelling her to stare even more. The more she did so, however, the more familiar he started to look. Perhaps she'd seen him in the corridors recently? Maybe he'd been pointed out to her, even...

By the time Arissa spoke up again, Tina was completely slouched in her chair, her elbows propped up on the table, her face rested in her hands. She sprung to life as soon as the other girl's clipped, posh tone reached her ears, trying not to look too started. "Wha? How'd you even find out about this stuff? And what happened last year?" she said, trying to seem engaged. Actually, she was engaged! Very engaged! Her brain definitely wasn't trying to work out who this mysterious boy was, and why it mattered so much! "I dunno about Hufflepuff. I think your probably right though. Everyone's too well-behaved, not like your house..."

Her eyes had begun to sneak off to the side again, watching him, willing him not to leave quite yet. She tried to be subtle about this, but Tina wasn't a naturally subtle person, and quietness absolutely wasn't typical of a chatterbox like her. This boy had such a distinctive look about him, she couldn't help but think. Skinny and moody, with dark bags under his eyes. If she truly did recognise him, maybe it wasn't so important after all...

Then, it clicked.

"Are you that boy who's family is evil, or what?" Tina couldn't help herself: her voice rang through the quiet of the library. She looked up at him, not judging, more so curious, her eyes wide and intrigued. She had her murmurings of 'dark wizards' throughout the halls of Hogwarts - in fact, it hard to escape this topic of discussion. It wasn't just her and Arissa that liked to gossip, and she was sure she'd passed this kid a few times in the corridors, his presence followed by harsh glares and callous whispers. She glanced back at Arissa for a short moment, as though to quickly apologise for her outburst, before returning to face him. "Wyatt Starkey? Yeah, I swear down that's you!"

Arissa couldn't help but stiffen as the name "Wyatt Starkey" came out of the Hufflepuff's mouth. However, it wasn't merely an answer to her previous question, as she didn't look at the Slytherin as she utter that name, no, in fact it seemed like she was...calling.

Something else had taken her interest.

Arissa followed her line of vision, and her grey eyes were greeted with the sight of a skinny brown haired boy, wearing Slytherin tie, minding his own business. Arissa couldn't help but increase her vigilance, as she casted the boy a wary glance. She has seen him in the Common Room and avoid him whenever she can, a good move considering the rumors that surrounded that boy for so long. Adding the fact that her mother worked in the Wizengamot, there's no way an association like this would benefit her family.

When she heard the Miss Montero asking him whether or not he was evil like the rumor painted him to be, Arissa couldn't help but clicking her tongue to express disapproval.

This vice president of hers surely need a guide on subtlety. Who on earth would call a person that was the center of such a dangerous gossip so boldly in the library? Arissa was fond of talking in a roundabout way, as diplomatic talks were what the women of aristocratic families were trained in; but the other girl was too....overt.

'There are many rules of the art of gossiping, and one of them is to not look at the subject of your gossip so blatantly like that. And of course, it also means that one shouldn't ask a direct question towards someone, especially if that person had a a rather horrid rumor surrounding him.'

However, she promptly dismissed it; they have different lifestyles, it was a given for them to have different personalities. On the contrary, she too was interested in the other boy. She has yet to hear whatever his thought on this rumor, so it would be a lie for someone like Arissa to not be interested in such a thing.

"Mr. Starkey..." She drawled. "Forgive my companion's impertinence."

To the Hufflepuff she whispered, "I'm not sure what you're planning, but I sure hope it's not what I think. Or do you really wanted to have an...interview here? "

oops

Interacting with @Arissa Wright & @Wyatt Starkey

When Wyatt turned to face the two girls, Tina couldn't help but shrink into her seat a little. She'd been overconfident with that outburst, but now that he was facing them head on, he actually looked quite scary, something she'd failed to anticipate. His face was tattered with pale scars, and hollow like a living skeleton, his expression flat and unreadable.

Still, he was kind of cute; in a dark, brooding, vampire way. Tina kicked her legs under the table in a brief fit of excitement at the way his dark hair swept over his forehead, accidentally knocking Arissa as she did so ("Sorry!"). She was harbouring plenty of juvenile crushes on second year boys at this point, and Wyatt would be no exception, even if his family was evil.

"Mr. Starkey... Forgive my companion's impertinence," Arissa drawled, resulting in an outraged squeak from said incompetent companion. It seemed like this girl took every chance to pull her down, although perhaps it was more that Tina gave her every chance...

It was only a second later, however, that the Slytherin girl leaned in to ask exactly what her partner was up to, her voice a hushed whisper. She obviously thought that Tina had a plan, which she didn't, the girl was just pretty impulsive when it came to things that caught her interest, and had failed to keep her mouth shut. She wasn't going to tell this to Arissa, of course, instead nodding vigorously along with whatever the other had implied. "An interview is good, right?" she replied, but Wyatt cut them off.

His voice matched his appearance: cold, distant, empty. Even so, Tina clung to every word like it were liquid gold, shimmering velvet slipping though her fingers if she didn't clench tight. He was quick to dismiss her claim, seemingly unperturbed; it was as though he'd just been accused of pretty theft and not being related to what could very well be a literal murdering criminal. He twisted her words, too. The Hufflepuff glanced to Arissa out of the corner of her eye, wondering if her partner had her own suspicions about how well his story held up. She should know more than Tina.

"I didn't say that every Slytherin was a Death Eater or whatever though." She'd heard that word before, but wasn't entirely sure of the weight it held in the magical world. All that was certain was that being related to one wasn't a good thing. Not at all. "I asked if your family was evil. I didn't even know you were a Slytherin!"

Tina was grilling him - just a little. She didn't want to frighten him off, or anything. He had already engaged with them at this point just by responding to her accusation, but she didn't want the opportunity to ask proper, decent questions to get lost. He could leave any minute now, if he wanted. Arissa probably thought she was a pain in the arse already, and Tina couldn't afford to let the other girl's impression of her sink any deeper. This, if anything, would probably put her in Arissa's good books. After all, it would be a very productive session for the Gossip Association, to actual talk to the subject of some rumours, if defeating the whole purpose of 'gossip' a tad.

There was a chair at the foot of the table she and Arissa were sat at. Slyly, Tina nudged it out from under the table with her foot, eyes gleaming with feigned integrity.

"Maybe if we heard your side of the story..."

Interacting with @Martyna Romero @Wyatt Starkey

Rumors, despite being a simple playthings for girls, it did serve quite a critical hit for the person in question. People won't care whether or not it's the truth, they would accept it as the truth without even consulting the person. Arissa was quite familiar with the its system, and because of that, she rarely took most of rumors as the truth. Without evidence, the rumor was just baseless gossips. Fun to play with, but not to trust in.

But this rumor, was the one she felt conflicted in. Whether or not it was true, she treated it as such. After all, this rumor was dangerous - as it involved being a Death Eater. Wyatt Starkey however, denied it easily. Arissa rose her brows at that, but she didn't lowered her guard just yet. Just like how a rumor needed proof, a statement from a defendant also needed evidence.

Not every Slytherin is a Death Eater.

That remark, Arissa knew it better than anyone. She did receive occasional wary glances from students from other houses, but rather than feeling hurt by it, she was relishing the power it gave her. She never saw herself as a martyr, nor did she see herself as evil - she was neutral, though she can't deny the attraction of being the one who holds the power.

The boy's expression was cold and emotionless - enough to scare the ones with weak hearts. But, Arissa's expression never falter. After all, why would she? The Slytherins, most of them have it, including Arissa herself. She was used to it, but it seemed like that's not the case for her companion, though it didn't take long for her expression to change. She didn't know what was it that possessed the Hufflepuff, but she can't say she was amused after being attacked suddenly.

And of course, she promptly ignored the slight adoration on her companion's face. This girl, Slytherins were proficient at hiding and reading expressions, and as the subject of her affection was from said house, he may or may not notice it. And while the blonde girl kept her silence, she did have the intention to grill her companion about this later on.

She shook her head at the bold action of the Hufflepuff, who indirectly invite the boy into their table. "Do whatever you want." To the boy, she said, "I would say a simple chat with us was a tad better than reading your book, don't you agree? More... entertaining, surely."

For us both.

That word left unspoken. If the boy was as what she assumed, then the entertainment of this drama was enough to pique his attention, just like it did hers.

Arissa quickly snatched the parchment containing their gossips and hid it under her hand. If her accepted their offer, it won't take long for him to be interested in the lone parchment. A Slytherin knowing her secret activity, was one thing that Arissa wanted to avoid.

[font=times new roman]"I didn't say that every Slytherin was a Death Eater or whatever though." Wyatt clenched his fists absent-mindedly. When he realized, though, he clasped his hands behind his back. The last thing he’d do was react to anything these girls said. "I asked if your family was evil. I didn't even know you were a Slytherin!"

Wyatt chuckled. “You didn’t see the tie? Each day a new Hufflepuff comes into my life and proves that their house is even sillier than Gryffindor,” he mumbled, loudly enough for just the girls to hear. He had come across a few daft Hufflepuffs recently. There was that Charles kid, of course. Then Autumn Ivy, who wasn’t a complete idiot, but was nothing like the classic Hufflepuff. She was quite manipulative… intolerable, to say the least.

This one wasn’t so typical either, though. She was quite hot-headed for a Badger, though it might’ve been because Wyatt called her brainless. Maybe… "Maybe if we heard your side of the story..." Wyatt chuckled again, shorter this time, though. “You overreact at the slightest insult and then ask for ‘my side of the story’ like we’re buddies?”

"I would say a simple chat with us was a tad better than reading your book, don't you agree? More... entertaining, surely." The professional then snatched a piece of paper from the desk before her and “hid” it under her hand, though he pretended not to notice. If he played his cards just right, he’d have it by the end of their conversation. The Slytherin wasn’t wrong, though. Studying for a charms quiz wasn’t nearly as interesting as being interviewed.

Wyatt allowed for a small silence before he pulled out a chair near the girls, but far enough where he was comfortable, and sat down, crossing his left leg over his right and crossing his arms. It was clear this meant that he was willing to be “interviewed” but he just didn’t want to say it out loud.

His black eyes met the Hufflepuff’s as he made eye contact, answering her question. “There are no sides to the story. Only the truth. I am not related to Death Eaters, nor do I wish to be.” This was sort of true. Technically? No. But to Wyatt, he didn’t consider his grandparents family anymore. Still, Wyatt knew that the only thing that would matter to the school was that he was technically related to Death Eaters.

_{@Martyna Romero @Arissa Wright}

Interacting with @Arissa Wright & @Wyatt Starkey
Briefly mentioning @Starlee Kennedy & @Elizabeth Isaacs

God, this was really doing a number on poor Martyna's ego. Wyatt was dishing out these insults with such ease and lack of remorse that she had to admit that it stung - a little or a lot - especially with Arissa sitting right there. She huffed indignantly at the suggestion that she'd missed his tie colour (even though she totally had) as well as the implication that she was making an assumption. Her best friend was one of the snakes, and that helpful prefect Ruby, not to mention Arissa herself. Even if that girl was haughty at times, she still willingly hung out with Tina, and was all around pretty cool. If any one of the Slytherins she was familiar was actually a Death Eater, then she'd place her bets on Elizabeth Issacs. That girl certainly had some outdated views.

Hmm... Maybe they should add that to the gossip list.

Wyatt remained unrelenting at Tina's request, which she'd imagined was very convincing, that he join them, much to her dismay. “You overreact at the slightest insult and then ask for ‘my side of the story’ like we’re buddies?” Whilst she couldn't work out which particular instance he was referring to (everyone seemed to think Tina overreacted at everything, which she'd contest) she got the gist that he wasn't going to give in when she was doing all the talking, and that it was probably best for her to shut her mouth and let Arissa do the hard part. She pursed her lips so that they were shut tight, puffing out her cheeks and glancing to the other girl, who thankfully had everything under control already.

"I would say a simple chat with us was a tad better than reading your book, don't you agree? More... entertaining, surely."

How did she do that? Tina stared with awe at the girl as she slid their paper under the table with ease, cool and collected as always, her silver eyes sharp and watchful. She needed to be more like that, she thought as Wyatt took the chair that she'd initially nudged towards him and sat down, making sure to keep her trap firmly shut. The silence was tense, and could even be called awkward in her opinion, but it was necessary. She didn't want to risk stepping out of line now, especially with anticipation of the impending conversation clawing at her stomach, begging her to say something stupid. Even after sitting down with them, however, Wyatt maintained the position that he wasn't related to any Death Eaters. She wanted to explode!

So she did.

"Well, where'd the rumour come from then?" she blurted out, almost offended by the notion that it wasn't even a tiny bit true. She wouldn't be satisfied by such a half-hearted response. Why would he elect to sit down with them if only to say that it wasn't true? This wasn't a fantastic rationalisation, but it was all she needed to spur her on. "I mean, its like, serious serious! And don't say its just because you're a Slytherin!" She stopped him there with that one, or at least tried to. "I don't think anyone even cares about that stuff, unless you're from one of them traditional..."

...From one of those traditional... families? Her voice trailed off, not keen to finish that sentence. It sounded like she was accusing him of lying, which she was, but that probably wasn't so tactful. She didn't imagine Arissa thought it was. 'Traditional' was a nice word for someone who thought like Elizabeth Isaacs, and maybe that's why there was a rumour. Because he was from a 'traditional' family. This was a rumour about his relatives, after all.

She risked a glance at her gossip partner, suddenly a little wary. She certainly acted like she was from a pureblood family, just like Elizabeth. Tina had thought they were 'friends' in a sense, but maybe that wasn't the right word. Should she be being more cautious? As for Wyatt, she couldn't be so sure. When Tina felt that familiar prickly feeling crawl up her spine, she shuddered, not wanting to dwell on these unsavoury internal conflicts for much longer.

"But, um, it had to come from somewhere, didn't it?" she managed, confidence wavering.