Contrition & Closure PV finished

@Pericles Dralt

The scene that's slowly transpiring for the Ravenclaw is not one out of the ordinary. It was a simple walk to the Commons along with her friend Pericles. Nothing inherently unusual at first, but the reason why Breana was internally screaming in her head was the fact that her fellow Ravenclaw companion told her that he wanted to talk to her. The question of what it was, she had no hint to what it was whatsoever. To top it all of for the nervous little girl, she has quite an infatuation towards the fair-skinned lad. Such a scenario, as Breana would've guessed from reading mountains of romantic novels, meant a couple of things. Such things leaned her mind towards the mindset of being a hopeless romantic, even borderline over-the-top, but such is the mind of a 12-year-old girl.

Thankfully, Pericles snapped her mind back into reality. As the boy spoke, Breana blinked her eyes, breaking off from her daze and looking over at her friend. "Ah, no, no..." She chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I mean, I still gots time before my next class, so I'm fine with the walk to the Commons..." She reassured Pericles, even though her response is slightly gawkish, due to her previous assumptions.

As Breana followed her classmate, she started fiddling with her fingers, nervously intertwining them around with each other. The little girl can't help but revert her assumptions to something romantic. Luckily, the boy quickly shattered it as his voice was far from it. In fact, it was more courteous and almost pensive. As he mentioned Xailah, a tinge of fear was evident across her face as the first memory of the Gryffindor was far from pleasant. Nevertheless, Breana was willing to hear Pericles's statement. As much as she wanted his words to comfort her, all it does was raise even more questions than answers. If she truly does worry about her friends, why would putting a student down help? How would that solve anything? Even with Pericles's genteel smile, the freckled child's confusion was still unwavering.

When Pericles mentioned hanging out with the two, however, Breana gave him a smile similar to his. Despite her initial thoughts of his friend, the girl was still glad that it didn't disturb his birthday. It would be at this point that Breana would have said something a bit humorous to lighten up the mood, but as her mind continued to ponder around the senior's behavior...

As he brought up his own feelings toward the situation, the tiny Ravenclaw didn't miss a beat to reassure her friend with a lighthearted joke. "I mean, who wouldn't wanna stay longer for some extra doom, eh?" She snickered a little. "Jokes aside, Per, you're one of my first friends here in Hogwarts. I'd be kicking me own bum if I'd leave you at that ball..." She smiled. Unfortunately, the positive thoughts were slowly being drowned by the rather negative ones that were still stirring in the back of her brain. Might as well say it now than having it boil over.

"I... Pericles, well..." She started. Her voice was soft, quite the opposite of her usual cheery demeanor from before. She paused to think of how to continue her speech before moving on. "About Xailah... I... I can't say for certain if I'd understand where she's coming from, considering the Blossom Ball was the only time I've gone through... well, complete chaos, basically." She said with a light chuckle before her face fell back into a more serious expression. "Thanks for reassuring me of her... I appreciate it. She must've been a really good friend to you... But... Well, if I'm being quite honest, she really did hurt my feelings." She bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears. The last thing she wanted was for Pericles to take pity on her when she's trying to stand up for herself in this matter. She let out a heavy sigh as she continued. "It was... truly hurtful for me, and if it's alright, I'll forgive her if she apologizes to me firsthand." She then let out a small scoff, wiping her eyes to avoid getting too teary. "I mean, I know you just said she might not do it..." She laughed to herself, thinking that she might be wishing for the impossible. "But I stand by it..."

@Breana Oliveire

As far as Pericles was concerned, Breana was a kind and perky person with a touch of nerves. He was relatively oblivious about romance, and what little he did understand, he firmly tucked away into the back of his conscious. The sweet girl's inner assumptions were interpreted as a spot of anxiety, which the lad tried to work past with a delicate, factual mien. He liked Breana. He liked Xailah. It became abundantly clear that the two may not mesh, though that wouldn't deter him from trying to be a good friend to both of them. A light laugh sounded to talk of "extra doom", and an especially appreciative smile joined it when she elaborated on her decision to stay. Yet the elephant in the room was at last addressed, Pericles' attempt at cushioning the conversation with positives dwindling as Breana was finally able to release some of that pent up pain. He thought of reaching out to touch a shoulder, or hand off his kerchief, ultimately electing to not smother her with pity and instead offer a listening ear.

"I know how you feel. Her behavior wasn't easy to understand, and as I said, I'm not trying to make an excuse for it. It isn't my place to ask you to forgive her, either. I s'pose I'm just trying to make sense of it all...." There was comfort to be derived from rationalizing anything unreasonable or unpleasant. The Ravenclaw relied on a combination of imagination, investigation, and a sensible (albeit not constant) dose of realism. The empath in him craved closure, and to put a damper on the tension, too. Damage had been done to Breana. Proactive Pericles was at a loss as to how he might mend it, whether or not it was his place to. It was also natural to want one's friends to tolerate one another at the least. An attempt was made to smile once more, though it flickered out, snuffed by the earnest contrition he felt for the emotional pain she'd undergone. "I'm sorry," the young wizard repeated on a soft note. "I think I may need to talk to her, too. But I wanted to make sure you knew that you handled yourself well that night, and I was glad to have your help." He'd never cared for confrontation. This was a direct result of eloquence's little-known negative side: to remain polite and evasive instead of instigating a disagreement. But the boy was no longer content to keep quiet when something struck him as unfair.

The conversation had carried on lowly while they wove through scattered patches of students. With the ball at last addressed, Peri's mind was pulled towards two different topics: past and future, the Woods and the Summer. It seemed he was the "bad news first, good news second" type, as he asked next- thin lips curved into a mild frown- "It looks like you've recovered really well." He seemed to skirt around mentioning the Dark and Perilous Woods directly, though the door was open if she wished to face the topic at all.

@Pericles Dralt

Breana nodded, her held back emotions now slowly bursting open like a worn-out dam. What emotions, exactly? Anger? Frustration? Sadness? Maybe weariness from that entire ordeal? Either way, she was glad that her chosen stance on not forgiving the Gryffindor didn't fall unto deaf ears. However, it still begged the question: If it wasn't how Xailah usually acted, then why would she act that way? To someone she barely knew, no less? The young child sighed as if trying to push out her negative emotions from her body, then skewed out a crooked smile to Pericles. "It's... It's okay." Breana said as the boy apologized. "I mean, well... not really, of course, but.... yeah..." her voice wavering to a mutter. Even with Pericles still reassuring her with her help in the ball, the curly-haired girl's mind was still muddled. Granted, this wasn't exactly the "epic stand-up-for-herself" moment that she hoped for, but at least she let out what she wanted to say in one piece.

"H-hey... Per?" She said. "I, uh... may not be the biggest Xailah fan right now, heh... But I hope that you can help her with whatever's bothering her." She said genuinely. She is Peri's friend after all, and somewhat traumatic encounters aside, she is a rather elegant and graceful girl. Something that Breana would strive to be someday.

As the conversation winded down, Pericles gave a vague nod to what happened in the Woods. The mere memory of it, the eerily similar dolls, their humanlike claws digging her face... Breana flinched and stopped walking. In those moments, it was as if she had a mental battle with herself, trying to not give in to reliving such horrid memories. After a minute of silence, she mentally recovered, clearing her throat as she tried to salvage their chat. "Uh... I... y-yeah..." She said, though it was clear that her voice was shaking at first. "My... my dad told me that I'm a pretty fast healer... Guess I can do that on magical medicine, too." Breana chuckled, trying to calm herself by rubbing the goosebumps on her forearm.

@Breana Oliveire

Before Breana self-corrected herself, Pericles had pursed his lips in a way which implied he was about to disagree, only to bob his head in mute agreement. It wasn't alright for her to be left feeling the way she was, no. The lad was left troubled and conflicted. But her well-wishes brought a small smile back to him, and with a tilt of his head her way he murmured "Thank you, Brea. I'll try."

Pericles was glad to have breached that particular moment, yet when she stopped altogether at the mention of the Forest, he feared he'd touched on something still too raw. The boy slowed to a stop at her side with a worried furrow of the forehead. Breana's tremulous attempt at carrying casual conversation didn't convince him in the slightest, and although Peri listened in somber silence, his thoughts were clearly churning. She rubbed the goosebumps from her arms and he reached to squeeze her shoulder. "I'm sorry." There was a depth to the apology, a resonating guilt. He wasn't simply sorry for asking her about it: he was sorry that he, a prefect, had let the lot of them enter the Forest at all when instead he damn near led the charge. "If you'd ever like to talk about what happened, I'm here." The hand withdrew and found its way into his pocket.

Peri glanced to the ground, pondering a rock before peering up again, inquiring quietly: "D'you think you'll tell him about it? Your dad? I haven't been honest about this year at all with mine." His smile was strained as he admitted it. "I've left out so much in my letters home, even the Blossom Ball. I don't think the school tells them what's gone on unless we're sent to St Mungo's, or, a student passes away."

@Pericles Dralt

Breana blinked her eyes for a moment to dismiss the momentary anguish that she felt from the strew of flashbacks. It was during those grueling minutes her mind acted as a fast-moving car without any means of a brake. Thankfully, Pericles became helped her mind to stop racing. It was a momentary shock, of course, but then the freckled child released her tension as her friend placed his hand on her shoulder. Even if it was a small gesture, such a kind act paired with his considerate words kept Breana grounded and avoiding uneasiness. "H-huh?" She stammered, confused at first but then recalled what he said moments ago. "Ah... Well..." Breana started, now giving in to her mental weariness and sat down unto the nearest stone bench. "I... dunno what to say really... It's just that... Every time I remembered that incident... Well..." She sighed, trying to piece together the proper words for it. Unfortunately, it took her quite a while before shaking her head. "Well... I think you saw it a couple of minutes ago. I... don't know what to make of it, so... " She shrugged, almost nonchalantly despite the heaviness of the topic.

Then when the spectacled lad mentioned of their parents and the incidents before, Breana's face dropped. She dropped her head down, clearly not proud of what she'll say next. "... S-same here, sadly. My parents... Well, my mum, at least... She knew about the Blossom Ball, but I think she just thought it was a small little get-together of some sort." She chuckled for a moment, though her eyes and voice are still void of any joy that she naturally used to spurt out. "My father knows a little bit of school-- I mean, he tries his best and all, being a muggle... But... Yeah..." She propped up her legs, resting her arms on her knees. "I haven't sent them a letter since the... That incident before... and they've already sent me two letters." Breana turned her head to Pericles, biting her lip before asking, "... Was it hard at first? I mean, dropping out that sort of info from your parents..."

@Breana Oliveire

Pericles' persistent drive for understanding was always leashed by an important trait: patience. Breanna struggled with putting her feelings for the forest escapade into word, but he could hardly fault her, as the boy was struggling to sum it up in turn. With a gentle shake of his head, he insisted at a low murmur: "That's alright. You don't need to say anything, really." His own thoughts were perfectly jumbled: the sting of unanswered mysteries, the elation of surviving such a harrowing experience, the lingering tang of terror for what could have happened to himself or the others. Memories of the Perilous Woods were all one cantankerous knot of ups and downs. Peri settled onto the seat besides her, forsaking perfect posture to rest elbows atop knees, fingers laced.

"... Was it hard at first? I mean, dropping out that sort of info from your parents..."

He considered his boots with a mild furrow of the forehead, then looked to Breana. "I've only ever had them in my life- my parents and my sister. I didn't have friends before Hogwarts." This was confessed passively, paired with a shrug, though there was a weight to his words. They bore a lucidity far different from his typical drifting dialogue "The only things I've hidden from them were small, like if I'd read something I probably oughtn't have, or if I had some silly accident I didn't want them fussing over me for. I've never needed to omit things... if I lost something, they would help me find or replace it. If I was upset, they've always known what to say. It doesn't feel right not to tell them. Besides, I can hardly keep anything from my father. I think he was secretly a Legilimens." Pericles laughed at that, albeit as more of an anxious huff of air accompanied by an unsure side-eye.

Back to his boots he looked once more. "But what purpose what it serve to tell them anyhow, you know...? They would only worry, or at least, that's what I've been telling myself. I imagine your dad would be even more upset. I don't think muggle schools really run the risk of being attacked by magical creatures." Pressing palms to his knees, sitting up somewhat straighter, his confession continued quietly. "I love my family dearly. I just don't think I'd know what to do with myself without Hogwarts, not after everything we've done and seen. I have friends now, and I have work t'keep me busy, being a prefect and paper writer and all...." Pericles wouldn't outright admit that he was afraid of his parents possibly pulling him from the school, though that line said it all. "Do you feel the same...?"

@Pericles Dralt

As the fair-skinned lad reassured her of her faults, the young Ravenclaw merely nodded, her hands clasping unto elbows as she still hugged her legs tightly. Her eyes darted for a moment as she watched Pericles sit down next to her. It's not every day that she sees her friend like that. It might not look like it, but it's comforting in a way to her. She let out a small sigh, the odd comfort of silence engulfing between the two children for a moment.

Then Pericles answered her question. She let go of her legs, slowly dropping one of them back to the floor as she listened to her fellow Ravenclaw. She knew the first part of it, of course. She remembered at some point sharing such parallels, as she never had a concrete friend until she stepped into Hogwarts. Breana nodded, not breaking eye contact. Legilimens... She's heard of it from advanced textbooks from before. A sort of mind-reading magic, right? She heard that the Sorting Hat had such magic to help it sort the students... Breana couldn't imagine having her mother have that sort of power, much less use it on her. A parent wouldn't be that invasive... right?

As the conversation flew and carried on, it went back to Breana's father. She frowned at the thought of her father realizing how dangerous it would be for her. Would he stop her from attending Hogwarts next year? Or worse, have her drop out of it completely? She just got here, just introduced to such wonders... Breana couldn't imagine parting with it anymore. Though, as Pericles made a small quip at the end, Breana gave him a small chuckle. "Nah... Papa said the only dangerous creatures in muggle school are the teachers." She said, her little quip not even having that classic chipper tone that she has. As Pericles continued, it was as if he was reading her mind earlier. It was alleviating, in a sort of melancholy way, that they'd have the same fear. Breana looked at Pericles, then down to his hand. She was hesitant at first, but she then slowly placed her hand on top of his. "Yeah... I do..." She said, gently clasping unto his fingers. "You're not alone in this, Per... We can... try to figure this out together, someway or whatever..."

@Breana Oliveire

As Breana unfolded from her closed-off posture, Pericles extended an encouraging smile. The world dealt many an unkindness, but it was an especially grim hour when the cheerful were brought low, and the witch was one of the most sunny students he had met to date. It would be a pity to see her stuck beneath that raincloud of doubt and distress. He even laughed, huffing a soft sound when she described muggle teachers as dangerous. "I can't even imagine," Pericles admitted. But oh, he could. Adults were weird beasts.

Confessing his fear of withdrawal from Hogwarts came easily enough. He felt comfortable confiding it in Breana, particularly due to the fact that he sensed she felt similarly. It wasn't a comfort, per say, to hear her confirm as much. But the sense of solidarity which accompanied the shared truth was always nice. When she reached to touch his hand, Pericles looked briefly taken-aback by the warm gesture, then renewed his smile. He squeezed with one hand and patted with the other, light yet heartening motions. Calm confidence resonated in his tone as he murmured "Thank you, Brea." Releasing her hand and folding his fingers, forearms braced to knees now, the somber appreciation faded for something a little less serious. "If ever you needed, I could vouch for you, you know." Thin eyebrows arched. "I would tell your parents that I am a prefect, that I've observed your prowess, and I would make it sound absolutely official." An easy grin grew. Pericles paused, adding as an afterthought, "Do muggle schools have prefects...? Well, no matter. I have confidence that you're right. We'll figure things out, in our own time."

Pericles made to stand, then pocketed his hands, inclining his head towards the castle. Should she walk with him, the conversation would be far more casual for the duration of their walk. Should she stay, he would utter an earnest well-wishing, and thank her a final time for attending his impromptu "birthday".

Exiting thread.