Digging Holes into My Heart. Again. Errand PV Closed

Percival glanced towards Hanako his hair sticking to his forward in small clumps due to the heat. It was definitely hotter than he had thought it would have been. Despite the fact he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, he still felt like someone was lighting his skin aflame. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Percival stopped his shoveling leaning against the wooden pole for a few seconds. The boy brought up his hand to his forehead, pushing his hair out of his face. His hands were dirty, the underside of his nails was filled with encrusted dirt. He really did try to stay as clean as possible for as long as possible. But in the end, he ended up quite dirty. The boy's white shirt showed the dirtiness of this activity as if it were screaming. He truly did not want to know how the house-elves would rid his clothes of the grass and dirt stains. Percival couldn't help the guilty feeling that gnawed away at his chest cavity as he looked towards Hanako. "Sorry." he said out blandly. A frown crossed his features as he debated on what to say.

Hanako looked a cross between annoyed and very annoyed. Thankfully, it seemed that the other was far too tired to actually throw something at him. He highly doubted the other would have spared him if he were not. Percival huffed gently before flopping down onto the grass beside him. He sat crisscrossed on the ground, his hand absentmindedly picking at the grass. "But if I kill you who would I hang out with? You know you are the only tolerable person in our dorm." he hummed out gently. The last statement was probably not as true, but to Percival, it seemed true enough. The boy pointed towards a rather tall tree where it shaded a good portion of the ground. "If you are tired I would recommend the shade, Hana. I think I'm almost done with the hole so we should be able to move on soon." he said as he twirled a piece of grass between his index finger and thumb.

He could relate to Hanako in the same way. He had underestimated the amount of effort and work it would require of them to plant one bloody tree. The boy mildly glared at the shovel in his hands for a moment before standing back up again. It would do little to drag their feet through the dusty dirt. It would only drag out the time spent being tired and hot. Percival glanced back down towards Hanako a faint smile crossing his lips. The other boy's protests over the situation he had been in felt trivial. For once they weren't fighting with one another. For once the only thing that was loud was the sound of the birds that chirped in the trees. Here the two of them were together. Breathing the same air and doing little more than just existing. Sure the circumstances weren't the best, but a sense of ease tingled at the forefront of his mind. Percival wondered when the last time they had actually enjoyed one another's presence. Maybe this was a sign, despite how miserable the weather conditions were. The two of them had made a promise. A pact of sorts. They were going to fight this damned world together. Not apart. They were finally together again. The boy felt the smile pull harder at his lips as a surge of hopefulness warmed the inside of his chest cavity. Raising his shovel, he dug it into the ground, and as he put his foot on the top of the shovel to push it further. He found his smile had turned into a grin.

Word Count: 623/600

Interacting with: @Hanako Tone
Mentioning: @Ileen Knight

Interacting with @Hanako Tone | @Percival Rainwood

Ileen had the shovel in her hand, strolling over the grounds, a soft and happy smile on her lips. Planting trees - what a nice task! Though she imagined it to be a lot of physical effort, an assumption confirmed by the sweating and grunting students she passed by. Biting her lower lip she hesitated and looked around. Maybe it was not a task to do by herself - by now she knew enough people she respected who would likely be here as well. Maybe she could team up with them?
Another glance over her shoulder was sent to look for her cat Liv. She was somewhere around for sure and Ileen wanted to find a team before the all-human-hating cat caught up and would overcomplicate things. But she couldn’t see her anywhere. Also, she didn’t spot any familiar faces around.
With a disappointed sight she brushed some loose strands from her face which had escaped her ponytail and continued to walk. Automatically her feet carried her to a more distant place nearer the forest. The warm wind played with her hair and played with the wine-red shirt around her waist. It was already quite hot for that time of the year and Ileen had changed her long comfortable jeans for a pair of shorts.
What a nice and peaceful day! And with such an exciting task! Planting trees was not only for them but also for all the students there to come. It was a gift to be allowed to make a long-term influence for all generations to come. Maybe one of the trees they were planting today would be a favorite spot for some of them.
This thought conjured another smile on Ileen's face and formed her dark brown eyes into half moons. This was such an important quest!

Shrugging, she decided to do it by herself if she didn’t find someone to team up with soon. She could probably cut the ground with Diffindo in advance to make it easier…?
The young Slytherin stopped, the tip of the shovel blade between her feet and looked around for a suitable place. And just when she made up her mind and decided to start exactly where she was standing now, she heard two familiar voices nearby, disturbing her peace and silence. She didn’t overhear the exact words but she recognized the people who belonged to the voices.
Well, if that wasn't even a suitable team for her, she didn't know either. With a broad grin, she grabbed her shovel and strolled in the direction from which the voices wafted over to her. And soon she saw an all too familiar blond-haired boy toiling away in a hole with a shovel and another, also very familiar, black-haired boy doing what he did best: Nothing productive except grumbling.
Still presenting her board grin she walked towards the couple. She hadn’t seen them together in quite a while and though she never really got what Percival wanted with the “friend” Hanako she was happy for her friend to see them together once again.
She really liked Percival and appreciated him. It had been a long way down the road to get there but since a few months they had a quite friendly and respectful relationship Ileen wouldn’t want to miss. And Hanako… He was something. He was troublesome, impulsive and obsessive - and, most importantly, very much fun to tease.
“Hey, do you need some help?” She was now near enough to be seen and heard by the two boys. She stopped at the edge of the already impressive hole and beamed at Percival before looking back at Hanako, a smirk spreading over her face. “Since Hanako tries to argue the dirt out of the hole instead of actually contributing something?”

Word Count | 623/600

[font=PT Sans]
As if hearing Rainwood saying ‘sorry’ poked his heart, Hanako sat up uncharacteristically quick. Shoot, Percival wasn’t far away enough. It would’ve been nice not to see that small frown. Anyone could apologise to Hanako and he would back away uncomfortably. But if Percival did it? No, thank you. He had enough therapy sessions with Dee to admit he had a soft spot for the boy. Although he wouldn’t so easily express it around said the boy. Remembering he was a ‘cool’ boy with a ‘flamboyantly cold’ personality, he coughed to get into character. “ Sorry doesn’t cut it. But actions do. You can help me sneak into Faust's room and ‘borrow’ his stash of tea. I heard he got some interesting brews hidden in there~” like a mastermind forming a scheme in his head, he rubbed his hands together and chuckled darkly. “ A jug of fruity flavoured ice tea sounds nice after all this, now wouldn’t you agree~?” he shot Percival a sly grin, not caring if he sounded too serious about the idea than he actually is.

It was a joke. Hanako was sure they both didn’t want to die so early in their lives. Plus, Percival wouldn’t dare sneak behind his other… curiosity. Selim was a curiosity to Percival. That’s what Hanako decided to see him as. It was a much better word to use than ‘friend’. A curiosity that will soon pass. All Hanako needed to do was wait it out until it blew in the flowing wind, never to return. Since Hanako had caught Percival lying to hangout with the sleep-deprived boy alone, he had to reluctantly accept that Percival wouldn’t be only his. Selim was a tough opponent. Not in terms of appearance, but personality-wise. Hanako and Percival had made a promise to burn the world together. But at times, there was an annoying echo at the back of his head that told him; ‘ Selim is more fit to do that with him'.

And the worst part about it is that it was true. Hanako only accepted that promise because he was caught up in the moment. Thinking back on it, would he really be enough to make Rainwood happy? Probably not, but he had suffered through too many therapy sessions, done one too many short-lived kidnappings, and jealousy outbursts to stop now. That was one side of the coin. Another side insisted that he definitely wouldn’t mind Selim catching them in the act. The risks are high but at least the message is clear. Hana + Percival = yes. Selim + Percival = cats. Cats + anything = bad. Hanako is a math genius.

At the mention of moving on, Hanako beamed with genuine happiness. But continued to sit lazily on the grass, getting deeper and deeper into his tea fantasies. “ Blackk tea~ Peach Oooolonnng~ Chamomilllle~” he started to name a few other teas with a dreamy look in his eyes, seemingly too lost in thought to give a normal response.

That is until another unsuspecting party member stopped by with clear intentions of staying longer than she needed. Just like that, he was snapped out of his daydreaming. He responded to her cocky smirk just as he always did. With another one. But obviously looking much cuter than she did ( at least that’s what he told himself). “ I’m contributing well enough! Feel that in the air? Oh! Yea, you guessed it. That’s my honourable presence you’re basking in. Plenty of health benefits, I assure you” he exclaimed with full confidence and snottiness. He bit back a comment about how too much of his honourable presence would be considered an overdose, therefore she shouldn’t stay and bother him and Percival for too long.

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@Percival Rainwood@Ileeen Knight

Percival blinked in surprise as he listened to Hanako's request. The thought of sneaking into Selim's room seemed more or less a disaster waiting to happen. Their dormmate was anything except normal. Percival was not too sure he wanted to get on the other's bad side. The other had quite the knife collection last he had looked and coupled with an inclination to hurt others. Seemed like a dangerous mix indeed. Besides, it wasn't like the black-haired boy had a concrete schedule either. At least not one he had noticed.

"I would hardly call it borrowing, Hana." he said his brows furrowing as he thought. The boy wouldn't lie the thought of iced tea sounded good. The fact that Hanako would forgive him only sweetened such a deal. Percival bit the inside of his cheek before smiling ever so slightly. "If you want Hana. I guess I could try and help you." he said before he continued to dig.

The boy glanced up as he heard a new voice echo across the clearing they were in. His head snapped upward his mouth opening slightly in a surprised manner. His gaze quickly locked on the familiar face in front of them. The boy felt a grin stretch across his face as he watched the girl walk closer. "Hey Ileen." he greeted the other. Percival's gaze moved from the hole to Hanako. The other seemed less than thrilled about the idea of Ileen coming to help them dig their tree.

Though, he couldn't deny that the thought of another set of hands actually helping dig the tree would be nice. "Who knows Hana. If she joins we could get out of this heat faster." he offered a light smile on his face. The boy decided not to voice the fact that having Ileen join their small group would be no hardship. In truth, a part of him wanted to be around the other more often.

Interacting with: @Hanako Tone, @Ileen Knight
@Selim Faust

Ileen slowed down as she received two such different greetings. Her eyes sparkled in amusement and she gave Percival another warm smile. It was really sweet how he tried to give a logical explanation why everyone would benefit if Ileen joined.
Her warm smile turned into a smirk as her gaze met Hanako. “Health benefits? Are you sure? You should keep some of those great powers for yourself and try to grow a bit more.” She herself was a bit over average in regards to height but still shorter than Percival. Tall enough to glance down at Hanako if they both were standing, though.

She leaned relaxed on her shovel and grinned broadly. While she felt comfortable around Percival, she and Hanako were having fun on their... well, their own way. It was fun to tease him. However, she had no idea that her next joke would blatantly backfire.
She turned to Percival and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you can't expect our top model to get dirty and do physical work. So really. What did you pay him to get him in the sun?" Ileen didn't know if Hanako avoided the sun, but he looked weepy and pale, so she took a shot in the dark.
She shook her head in exaggerated shock and drew her wand. "You could loosen up the earth with your superior magical abilities, though. That would speed things up." That went back to Hanako. "Look, like this!"

Ileen casts Diffindo
Wisdom Check: 1+9 → Critical failure

Maybe it was Percival who made her nervous. Or there was something about the whole situation that wanted her not to be the person with the upper hand. Maybe it was a payback for her keeping Hanako on edge. Karma some would say.
After trying to prove to Hanako how easy it was to help with a wand, it struck back brutally. She had presented her proposal full of mockery and when she wanted to demonstrate it, her wand crossed. Instead of the light that was supposed to burst from the tip, she felt a tug in her arm and her sleeve was cut cleanly and even her skin was scratched. It was less painful than embarrassing.

Ileen blinked in surprise, then shrugged, putting the wand away and grinning to cover the moment. She actually was really embarressed and her cheeks flushed. "Well, that saves me rolling up my sleeves." With those words, she grabbed her shovel and nimbly jumped into the hole Percival had already dug, offering the boy a wide grin.

Interacting with | @Hanako Tone | @Percival Rainwood

[font=PT sans]"Who knows Hana. If she joins we could get out of this heat faster."

Hanako directed his gaze onto the blonde boy, looking rather displeased, but said nothing. Sorry? Was he mistaken? Because Hanako came here assuming the priority here was to spend time together. Sure they could be productive and plant trees and whatnot, but that was a 2nd priority. Or at least, that was what Hana was led to believe. Having Ileen around would defeat the whole purpose. Who the hell cares if they finished quickly or not. It was just supposed to be two of them. T w o. And now he’s openly welcoming someone else? Hanako clearly was anything but pleased at his choice of words. Perhaps overthinking the whole thing as well. But he justified that he was allowed to overthink when he had done a wonderful job at not saying anything about it.

A couple of snarky comments just waiting to be released, yet not one of them didn’t end up putting Percival in an awkward position. So Hana stayed quiet and directed his attention to Ileen instead. To which he regrets immediately.

“Health benefits? Are you sure? You should keep some of those great powers for yourself and try to grow a bit more.”

That was a major low blow. And Hanako didn’t hide how displeased he was at that comment. Before giving her such an ugly face, he huffed and turned his head to the side. He could not look at her smirking face. She must’ve loved riling him up. And she knew which buttons to press to do just that. What's with these two making the usually chatty Hana silent? Hanako would joke they were perfect for each other but that implied something sick. And he was already emotionally bruised enough from Percival’s poor word choice and Ileen's jab at Hana’s height.

"Well, you can't expect our top model to get dirty and do physical work. So really. What did you pay him to get him in the sun?"

“ Oh please you know what I came here for” he muttered so quietly that he could barely be heard by the two, just he looked just as displeased as he did since Ileen joined the party. She knew hanging out with Percival was enough for Hana. Yet she just had to butt in on purpose. If her goal was to make Hana leave, she was really good at it. Hanako stood up and dusted the dirt off his pants.

He really needed to chill out on his irritation right now. Maybe Percival never purposely called her in, maybe she was the main problem in this, maybe she’s that bored. Hanako understood the last part to an extent. He too had a history of ruining days whenever boredom visited him. Therefore, he was the last person that should judge Ileen’s intentions. However, given their history, he was going to question it anyway. Who's going to stop him? Possibly the growing urge to leave the two love birds in defeat, that’s what.

She then suggested letting magic do all the work, and Hanako rolled his eyes. “ That kinda defeats the benefit of gardening in the first place, Knight. Where's the fun of getting your hands dirty if there's nothing to complain about. “ Wizards! Fixing everything with just a flick of their wrist. No respect for the process and the room to complain. It seemed that his words wouldn’t reach the girl’s ears, because in no time spared, she had already whipped out her wand with the incantation in mind.

"Look, like this!"

Ileen attempted to cast a diffindo, which ended horribly. The casualty being her poor sleeves and her priorly unscratched arms. "Well, that saves me rolling up my sleeves."

Hanako has been on his best behavior today. All thanks to his saint-like patience and Rainwoods presence. He refrained from saying something crabby for a while now, and he will do the same for the urge to laugh that was slowly creeping on him.

Reducio

However, Hanako has a limit. That limit is now

Reducio

“ You’re right!” he complimented after his short laughing session.” I think magic certainly helped. Probably not in the way you think it would, I believe. But hey, I’m in a better mood now so I suppose I should say thank you? Thank you~" he hummed, smiling gently at the girl.[/font]

@Percival Rainwood@Ileen Knight