15 Jan 2021, 02:50
Difficulty Being a Dhampir
((Let me know if you don't like the title (or anything else about this starter) and I can change it! Also, if you have any ideas on if you want this rp to be on a certain date in particular, just let me know and I'll edit in here. Otherwise, I'll just assume it's present day.))
It was true that much of the reason Kit had applied for the job of Hogwarts Castle Caretaker was to watch over the students attending school there including his younger sibling. However, he would have been lying if he'd ever said he didn't attempt to seize the opportunity for various other reasons as well; many of them purely for his own entertainment.
Kit liked people; plain and simple. He enjoyed getting to learn about them - each of them a different story; a whole world to explore if one only attempted to open the door and step inside. There was the common concept that most doors to these worlds and stories were shut tight, but Kit was of the opinion that most of those closed doors were unlocked. The worlds each wanted and waited to be explored. All they required was a person who cared enough to test their door. The problem was that most people didn't even think to try opening them. Most were fooled by the simple insinuation given from the appearance of closed doors that they were impassible.
Kit was not that sort, however. He had always been the curious cat kind of person, pushing and prodding at his boundaries without being deterred too much by the fear of finding them. If a tested door was locked to him, he wouldn't try to force his way in. Aside from being invasive to the other party, he didn't have the time or will to try to get to know those who didn't want to be known. A surprising number of people, however, did. After all, most people, he found, despite being one of billions on the Earth and coming into contact with many, many of their own kind every single day, were simply lonely.
Why more people didn't attempt to reach out to one another, Kit wasn't sure, but again he suspected it had something to do with a fear of being hurt. There was a certain vulnerability in attempting to walk into another person's world. He had his own secrets for protecting himself, though, so that hardly bothered him. In fact, he was rather proud of being able to have the confidence to bear himself to anyone or anything that came at him in life - to challenge and dare them to come at him, whatever their intentions toward him may have been. Regardless of who or what they were, he was ready to receive them as they were with open arms, open ears, and a broad, Cheshire smile. Grinning and bearing it was how he went through life.
It was for this reason, however, that the caretaker thought he might have been able to help others at a younger, more vulnerable age learn how to cope with their own obstacles and strife as they attempted to navigate their magical student careers. He knew for a fact that stressors could come from what adults might have considered the most unlikely of places. This was why a troll attack might have been less frightening or harmful to a young witch or wizard than any peer assault. Even a simple newspaper article, perhaps printed without any intended malice, might have ended up causing more damage than its writer had ever considered.
Kit had taken on the form of a young man - older-looking than most second or even third-year students that populated the school, but still in the school uniform attire - as he nibbled a late-night snack of lychee he had nabbed from the kitchens. He walked with leisure, eyes on the paper as he read by wand light and allowed his feet to carry him on the path he knew well enough by now not to need to see to recall. Because his attention and light was focused on the paper in his hand, however, he didn't look up in time to see or hear the other hall patroller make her way down the corridor. His head bent over the article on the seventh page, he read as he removed a piece of fruit from its scaly peel, putting the former in his mouth as his occupied fingers closed around the latter.
@Nico Shymane
When you think you're alone - that no one cares and you don't matter, please remember: You matter to me.
16 Jan 2021, 21:03
Difficulty Being a Dhampir
'Don't be late, guys. Curfew is soon. Get to your assigned Common Room.' She gave them a cold look. A group of students of several Houses were clogging the entrace of the halls and Nico couldn't deal with that right then. They were giggling and half ignoring her. Hm. 'Now.' Her unsettling aura glided from her frail form, creeping up on their legs. Their voices softened and with a light gallop they made they fled from the Prefects gaze.
She shook her head gently. 'No manners. For crying out loud..' She muttered resuming her pace. Her usual mary janes lightly tapped on the cold stone floor. Upon her pale porcelain face, her baggy eyes faintly showed. With the latest nonsense that had been going on at school, Nico didn't know how to calm herself to sleep. Maybe she should see the school nurse about this. The dhampir had tried many things to find the need for a good night slumber but nothing of the regular methods worked. Warm milk with a teaspoon of honey, hot tea with some sleepy herbs,... That last one was rather nasty tasting. Nico had a sweet tooth. Loving everything sugarry. Her mother often said that the sugar would bite her back one day... The dhampir didn't really care. Her sugar level was the least of her problems.
Lost in thought, her gaze had droppped to the floor fixated on the dancing shadows of the torches perched on the high walls. Hypnotising. The further she walked, the sounds of bickering students had faded. Or was this because she was clearly spacing out? The welcoming silence of the lonely halls held her in their embrace.
Until...
'Gah!' The impact wasn't anything extreme but the Prefect did end up bumping into someone. Flopping over onto her butt and back, the dhampir groaned and brought her hand to her forhead. 'Ow...' Hesitantly the redhead looked up to whoever she just ran into. Nico wasn't sure if she had seen him before. He looked like a student but... then again he didn't. 'I'm.. Are you okey?'
@Kit Paine
You're gonna need a bigger boat
18 Jan 2021, 20:20
Difficulty Being a Dhampir
"-Oof!"
Kit, who also hadn't been watching where he was going, might have fallen over himself if he hadn't been quite so tall or heavy - and if the girl he'd bumped into hadn't seemed to have absorbed most of the shock from their impact. It was she who ended up on the ground in the end and he felt utterly ridiculous knowing he had at least been partially responsible for the accident due to his attempts to read while walking. The feeling worsened once he realized that she was asking him if he was okay.
"Uh oh," he murmured, noticing her put her hand to her head. "I'm so sorry! I'm fine, but are you hurt?" Leaning forward and down, he offered her a hand up and realized he'd dropped the edition of the paper he'd been reading. The Hogwarts Headliner, Issue #11, lay sprawled across the cobblestones of the corridor with the article titled 'DHAMPIR: Docile or Dangerous?' folded face-up.
Deciding it didn't need his attention as immediately as the girl, he either waited for her to take his hand so he could pull or up or he would crouch down beside her to check her over for injuries. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I should have been looking where I was going. I just got caught up reading instead."
@Nico Shymane
When you think you're alone - that no one cares and you don't matter, please remember: You matter to me.
20 Jan 2021, 13:02
Difficulty Being a Dhampir
A faint blush rested on her cheeks. Usually in these scenarios, one would scream at the other that they were the one at fault. They'd yell, scream, pull each others hair. It happened more than you could imagine. Kids were so on egde. Nico was aswell.
But it didn't. Not now. Nico was slightly taken aback by how genuinly sorry the tall boy seemed to be. 'I'm okey. Just a little headache.' A faint smile slid on her face. It was strange what a bit of kindness could do. Hesitantly, the dhampir put her hand in his. The difference between their shade of skintone was almost as clear as day and night. Next to his olive like complexion, her paperwhite skin seemed to glow like the moon. 'I'm... sorry aswell. I was spacing ou-' She didn't know him. Hadn't seen him before. Her ice blue gaze noticed the newspaper that laid open on the floor and... the page showed exactly what had kept her awake these last couple of weeks. The image of the fanglike set of teeth shot a shiver down her spine.
In a flash, Nico crawled back up, pulling her hand out of his grip, nearly falling over her own feet and robes, desperately trying to create some distance between them. The quickness of it all had made her a little dizzy, as she staggered on her feet before leaning against the cold wall. Why did a stupid piece of paper scare her so much? Why did he scare her? He showed kindess and care, as far as she could tell. Did he even know what she was? Who she was?
This wasn't a great move... Maybe he didn't know she was a dhampir. Chances were he did now. Afraid of how he would respond to this, Nico remained silent. Trying to get her breathing under control.
@Kit Paine
You're gonna need a bigger boat
22 Jan 2021, 10:51
Difficulty Being a Dhampir
"Uh oh - a headache?" he repeated, looking more concerned than ever. "I think we'd better check to make sure you don't have a concussion..." He tried to examine her head to see where the worst impact might have been made when the abrupt cut-off of her word caused him to glance over. When he followed her line of sight to his former reading material, he blinked, still unsure why it might have bothered her at first. Then, distracted by the contrast of their dark and light complexions with her hand still in his, something clicked.
Before he could say anything else, she was on her feet and had yanked her own hand away with no resistance. He hadn't had time to anticipate her response enough to know to give any. He stared after her, still partially puzzled, before finally managing to force out some words.
"W-wait! Please wait," he pleaded, suddenly grabbing up the newspaper to tuck under his arm so he could hurry in pursuit. "I-I won't hurt you or do or say anything to make you uncomfortable. If I do, you can tell me and I'll stop. Or you can just leave! But just give me one more chance, first...?"
The worry in his features was earnest. "At the very least...I'd still like to make sure you don't have a concussion."
@Nico Shymane
When you think you're alone - that no one cares and you don't matter, please remember: You matter to me.
17 Feb 2021, 13:40
Difficulty Being a Dhampir
The way this boy... or man... used his words was very different from most students. It wasn't like he was trying to cover up his true intentions. He didn't try to talk his way out of this. Seeing as how he panicked, Nico couldn't deny that he must've known what she was now. And even so, he didn't call her names or scoffed at her for exagerating by this article that had clear intentions to harm dhampir students.
Nico watched him carefully. She took in his features, like she had to remember who he was if anything would happen to her following this meeting. As if they would be able to scan her mind whenever they'd find her cold body, stuffed somewhere out of sight, becoming one with the ever-aging walls of this just as cold castle.
This was difficult. If he had been rude or mean, she would've known how to react. But kindness was rare. Very rare. She remembered the touch of his hand which was pleasantly warm. Or was that another trick to make her trust him? Many questions flew through her mind.
'If you're not out to... hunt me down. Or something. Then why do you have that with you? Why is it open on that page?' She carefully stood up from the wall, her hand still gently resting against it. If anything would happen... she'd still be touching the wall. And that fact made her a little more reassured of herself. A high pitched tone echoed through her head as the collision from earlier came back. 'Ow..' She whimpered soflty to herself. 'It.. does hurt..' And now she was back to being the child she was... Letting her guard down as she touched a small bump on her head.
@Kit Paine
You're gonna need a bigger boat
2 Mar 2021, 03:20
Difficulty Being a Dhampir
At her questions, the young man's features took on an expression that was a mix of sheepishness and sad amusement. He ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment as he answered.
"I was trying to figure out what the writer of the article's purpose was in writing it," he said, forcing himself to meet her ice blue eyes. "It just seems so...I don't know. Provocative? Like someone hoping to start a fight. But the writer is anonymous, so it's weird." He shrugged. "It reminded me a little of those tricksters in stories who start fights just so they can sit back and watch others take part without ever having any intention of getting themselves involved. You know - for their own amusement. Just to see what havoc and chaos they can cause."
A meek smile played upon his lips. "You don't...honestly think I believe this stuff, do you...? That I would take the word of some stranger in a newspaper for granted just because their pseudonym is a bad pun on 'truth'?" It seemed by her reaction she did, however. Not that he could blame her. He was still constantly surprised by how many people seemed to just take things at face value without using their own brains to critically question and think about stuff for themsleves.
The prefect's whimper of pain brought the young man back to his senses and he walked slowly over to her, making sure to keep a respectful distance. "Here...how about I walk you to the Hospital Wing? We can stop by the kitchens on the way and get some ice to put on that bump."
He wondered what to tell her about himself. After all, they had met before. The last time was when Nico had told him, as the caretaker, that Howard was present in the small hall. The disruption he'd caused that night had been about the very article Kit had been going over. Nico had seemed...nervous then. Had it been because of the situation? Because he was an adult? All of the above?
Well...he wouldn't have minded revealing his true self to her in time, but just then he thought she'd had enough of a scare as it was. The least he could do would be to get her to Nurse Brumby first.
@Nico Shymane
When you think you're alone - that no one cares and you don't matter, please remember: You matter to me.