Whats another bruise Reopened

Kyle stood in silence as Illowy Scolded him, but beyond that countered his degredation of himself. Said she understood why he fought, why he pushed himself, why he showed off his strength. This caught Kyle off guard as he had never heard this from his cousin before, never seen that side of her and he was convinced that she was, to use her own words, little miss perfect goodie goodie.

She always had better grades than him, and always seemed to behave and be well put together and respectful and he was used to seeing his mother dote on her while scolding him for barely passing his classes. or rather the classes that mattered. Seeing this side of her, or rather hearing about it was the last thing he expected.

However, despite her harsh words and firm tone he couldnt meet her with a hard expression of his own. there was no glare, no scowl, no retort. instead...he started to laugh. It started low, but eventually escaped him as he laughed out loud. It was odd, been awhile since he genuinely had a good laugh like that.

Eventually he shook his head and slipped his hands into the pockets of his black leather jacket and Looked at Illowy with a smirk "Man...what a couple-a Arse holes, yeah?"

@Kyle Derook

On the outside, Illowy did her best to appear like she had everything figured out and had everything together. She did her best to always look well and presentable, face clean, hair brushed, emotions in check, academics in order, never got detention, always doing her best in her extra curriculars on top of the extra studies and research she was doing on her own. Illowy was constantly pushing herself; but it also left her appearing to be unassuming.

Truthfully, inside the girl was an utter mess; she was stressed, scared and angry constantly. Her temper was something she'd always struggled with, and especially since being in school it reared it's head more often then she cared to admit and she would fly off the handle. Yet, she'd managed to always evade any repercussions of her actions... by some hand of fate.

When Kyle started chuckling and laughing, she felt her blood start to boil a little, despite being unsure when the last time was that she'd heard him actually laugh like that... maybe on the train on their way to second year? That last fleeting moment of feeling like everything was normal... that wasn't on her mind now though. Did he not believe her? Was he laughing at her because he thought such an idea was ridiculous? Then as his laugh calmed and he flashed a signature smirk at her. The girl relaxed, realizing he hadn't been making fun of her.

Illowy tried in vain to suppress a smile as she jokingly shoved him in the shoulder, "You act so surprised." she chuckled, "I'm literally, like, one of the least approachable people in my house." which was true. People were more likely to just sit and stare at the snake then try to make friends with her; not with the cold air she emanated and chronic RBF, "The only difference between when I get into a fight and when you do is that I don't get caught." she teased.

He shook his head. While Illowy was right in a few ways, and they certainly shared more similarities than he originally thought she didnt have him fully figured out. Not like he made it easy.

Sure he liked to fight, he like to hurt people, to show his own power and make people scared of him, but that wasnt the only reason he fought. Especially not these days. Many of his fights these days he barely fought back or only fought back enough to keep his opponent fighting. In truth, he wanted his ass beat. Felt he deserved every punch, every kick, every black eye, every split lip. He didnt always fight to win, often times he fought to lose. He wasn't about to tell Illowy that though, atleast not now.

He offered her shrug "See Magpie, Thing is I dont mind getting caught. Never have. You got your reputation as a goody two shoes. 'least with the family. My reputation? trouble maker. Hard Man. Bruiser. Every fight I get busted for, every detention I get, every new story told about me just solidifies it. I Want to be known for the bad parts of me, Makes people steer clear and leave me alone. and thats how I like it"

@Kyle Derook

A small scoff and a roll her of eyes escaped her as he commented about her reputation within the family. She knew they meant well. Her aunt and uncle were trying to compensate where her own mother was lacking. Rose Magnard had always been the stern and reserved sort. Outwardly displays of affection had never been her style. Perhaps that was why Illowy worked so hard, in a vain effort to pry out some excitement or pride from her mother. But ever since the summer of the awful thing that happened with Duke, her mother was even more distant. The whole family noticed, and their overcompensation tasted like pity... but at least when she was around, it took some of that pitying attention off her cousin.

"Yeah, well, if that's what you wanna call it..." she shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. Illowy could have cringed at the idea that, should her curse overtake her before she had the chance to do something great, that she'd go down in memory as 'such a good girl' or 'such a smart girl' or something else disgustingly sad and mediocre. What a terrifying, painfully easy way to be lost in history as just another 'smart' or 'good' girl of her family. When it came to her peers... if something happened to her she would just fade away as if she'd never been there... it a terrifying thing to be faced with the prospect of being forgotten.

Thin fingers absentmindedly traced at the scars along her collarbone and shoulder, "I seem to fair just fine with getting people to avoid me for the most part." she muttered, "Personally, I don't have time to get caught. I have too much to get done before I get stuck with 'Illowy the Goodie Goodie' on my gravestone."