Deep Talk Time PV Flash Holmwood

One of the highlights of Flash's summer had been the moment when a unfamiliar owl stopped by the stables at his brother's lodge, dropping off a letter from Opeila. Being one of his first friends, he could not say they were the closest. In fact, the closer they got to each other, the less it seemed like they shared with one another. Partly, Flash had already admitted it to himself when the Valentines event had turned so sour, as he struggled to share his life with anyone. Hearing about Opeila's new home, about her daily struggles, and sharing some of his own, had been cathartic. It was over those many letters back and forth that he suggested they spend their morning together.

It had started and continued seemlessly, the two of them were already comfortable beside one another, let alone in silence. There were tacit understandings, and the simple fact that they could help one another if something went wrong. Nowhere was safe. Still, they had yet to connect again quite the same way they had in their letters. Beyond just finding written conversation easier by nature of having time to choose his words, Flash also did not want to burden Opeila with the addition of so many more of the relentless problems inherent in living in a magical world. It was all exhausting.

Speaking of exhaustion, his greatest efforts at returning to his regular sleeping patterns had been utter failures. He had never enjoyed sleeping in the dungeons before, but now he awoke every morning aching, and his dreams were plagued by vivid horrors. He still jogged every morning, exercised further with Avery beyond that, but instead of invigorating him, he felt like he was wearing thin. No amount of proper diet, stress management, and healthy lifestyle changes seemed to do any good. All he ever was anymore was tired and iritable.

His mind hazy on a particularly bad morning, Flash barely had time to catch himself with his hands as a severe cramp in his leg sent him reeling. He hadn't had a muscle cramp in years, yet there he was, getting back into a sitting position to spare himself some dignity before Opeila turned around at the notice of his absence. She called out to him, obviously worried, as he would have been if it had been her.

"I'm sorry... yes, I need a break." Flash replied winded, regret in his tone. "I just need a moment, I'll try not to make you late for breakfast."

Opeila rolled her eyes and shook her head a little while Flash looked away, when he apologized and told her he wouldn't make her late for breakfast. That was so typical of him, wasn't it? "... Flash. Don't worry about me, alright, I'm not hungry. Take your time, there's no rush." She couldn't help an inaudible chuckle. Had he just apologized for being in pain? The amused thought was followed by a stinging one; Opeila still absolutely didn't deserve a selfless friend like this boy.

The young girl leaned against a tree nearby and used the break to catch her breath, when her thoughts wandered back to the letters from last summer. Those letters had been nice, a welcome source of communication in her time at Virtanen Manor, but it felt like they had never really finished that conversation. And that was in big parts Opeila's fault for sure, she had avoided talking about it and there hadn't really been a moment either. Was this a good one?

The Slytherin waited a few more moments, until her friend looked like he was not in pain anymore. "Flash...?", she started hesitantly. "Can I..." She stopped and cleared her throat. "I... I would like to tell you what happened to my family and me since our first summer vacations." There was insecurity in her eyes when she looked back up and nervously she rubbed the back of her nose.

Opeila accepted the interruption, not that he exactly expected her to suddenly be less understanding. If anything, her tone sounded as though a bit of frustration lay in his compulsive need to apologize, rather than the fact that he needed to stop. He was starting to understand the sentiment as he grew older. It was only people who did not care about his well-being that wanted him to act like that-- perfectly humble and self-sacrificing. To those who wanted him to be healthy and happy, it was a mountain they had to constantly surmount to get to his honest feelings. He would offer her a weak smile as a secondary apology to his apology. "Thanks."

There was a brief silence for a moment as Opeila got comfortable and Flash massaged the afflicted muscle. Opeila did speak up however, in a stuttered way that showed uncharacteristic apprehension. Their talks had been mostly friendly and warm, avoiding difficult topics. Usually she only had trouble telling him something if it was very bad news. While Flash was not exactly in the best headspace to hear about more bad things, this was different. He only did not pry in respect for her comfort. As invested as he was in Opeila's life, he badly wanted to know everything she was willing to tell him.

"Of course." He would reply immediately, looking her way with refreshed attentiveness. "Please do."

@Opeila Winters

Opeila nodded and reajusted her position to be more comfortable, looked at her feet, took a few seconds to figure out where to begin. She had told Flash a lot about her family background. Herself she had known the core of the dark family history since her first magical accident, but her parents and her grandmother always made her believe that this chapter was over.

And never had Opeila expected that it would be all coming to her. Finally she looked up at Flash again. "Do you remember what I told you about my halfsisters father back in first year?", she asked him, "The man my mother ran away from, who we hid from. He found us." The Slytherin paused. "In the summer after our first year, short after I came home, my grandmother died." Something Flash already knew. "In my bed, next to me, only a few moments after she asked me to talk about my first year. I told her about you. And Willow and Gris." A weak smile appeared on Opeila's face.

It was one of those moments, where Opeila was very aware that she had changed. When she had first told Flash about private aspects of her life, she had been so scared, shaking and crying. And here she was, about to tell Flash that there was someone after her who had murdered her family and wanted to do the same to her, calm and quite fine considering the circumstances.

"But before that... my mother died." A new piece of information. "We were delivered her luggage from the hospital and it was claimed that an owl had been sent to us that never reached us though. And then Lady Margary was also gone..."
Opeila took a deep breath. "My halfsister Maybell's death I only found by coincidence, in the orbituary of the newspaper my dad likes to read."

"Lady Margary had made a plan all along for the case I was left without magical protection but I don't think my father would have followed it if it wasn't for Maybell's death. No one ever told me that I would be in danger and somehow it never entered my mind." Opeila shook her head. Thinking back now, it was something she could have guessed, but for a young girl of eleven it had just been too much, too complicated. So she had just decided not to think about it at all.

"My dad took me to a place in England where a portkey waited for me. I thought we would hide together, but it was only intended for me." The third year's eyes were shimmering, just a little. The shadow of a painful memory.
"So I was brought to Finland. To a family that er... cared fairly little about me, I'd say. The one I moved to this year is nicer and now I am expected to be like a pureblood wo grew up in blood purist society.
And my dad is gone. I don't know where he is or if he is even still... I erm..." Opeila cleared her throat and a small, almost hysterical sounding chuckling noise came out of her. "My family is gone."

Opeila chuckled again, focusing on the vibration the noise caused inside her chest. It was not funny at all, but it felt like the laughter was keeping her whole. After falling apart and picking herself up over and over in her second year, Opeila knew she wouldn't fall apart again. She had heard people say that laughing in a tragic, terrible situation was a sign of madness and she had wondered what there was to laugh about. The Slytherin was beginning to get a grasp on that topic.

"When- When I went down to that cave last November, after I was sent the note, I thought it was him. I thought he figured out who I cared about the most and actually was using it again me, because I sucked at staying away from my friends like I had planned." The chuckles got weaker and Opeila sniffed, turning her head to the sky to keep the tears at bay. She had done so well not to cry, she could control herself. She had to.

"I'm such an idiot, aren't I?", Opeila finally said, chuckling as one tear found its way down her cheek and she quickly wiped it off. "I fell for a stupid prank, but could have killed both of us. Or Jack in your place." No matter her history with Jack, she knew she would have done the exact same to save him.
As she chuckled again, Opeila pressed the palm of her right hand on both her eyes, trying to control herself again. "I'm crazy, jesus, what am I doing..."

Flash stayed sitting as Opeila prepared to speak, the brief moment of silence informing him that the weight of what she was preparing to say was heavy. There was some churning in his gut, a natural reaction when in suspense for something you expect to be difficult. As she began to speak, he'd nod to her question, his foggy brain still able to recall such majorly important details about her life. Her complicated relationship with her family, and the sister who had been a point of contention between them, was certainly the most drastic thing he had learned about her. It was not too surprising the topic would start there, though he shuddered to think were it had left to go. Then, 'he found us'. Flash would stop his kneading, the discomfort churning still as he watched her face carefully. How bad was it? Instead of saying what had happened with him, she mentioned how her grandmother had died, only she said it was while she was with her. Flash's eyes would fall from her face to the leaf littered ground.

"Oh, I see." He'd reply quietly, mostly to imply he was listening still. As empathetic as he was, he imagined himself being in the room as a family member passed away. It could not have been easy, it was heavy indeed.

When she mentioned her mother had died as well, his attention shot back up to her, a look of almost confusion replacing the solemnity. Not saying anything in his alarm, it was followed by news about her sister. So, had this been why she moved so far away. He was conflicted, though he could push the thoughts away with simple logic, he was shocked that this had not been deemed important enough to tell him earlier. If she had not told him, had she told anyone? With how she described her new living environment, she wondered how much she must have suffered in silence with this. Three members of her family... suddenly gone. It was hard to grasp, no less due to his altered state. For a moment, he wondered if he hadn't somehow dozed off and started imagining this conversation. As far gone as he was, he still had enough grasp of reality to know he was awake.

Opeila continued, talking about magical protection and danger. Scrutiny would reappear on his features yet again-- this was even more than he could have expected. "Danger?"

She explained this was why she was in Finland, that she had no idea what became of her father. It seemed that at last, the factory line of tragedies was at an end. She looked on the brink of tears, but Flash didn't even know if his leg was ready to be stood upon, that he might go over and hug her. It wouldn't be very comforting if he stood up and promptly feel flat on his face. He wanted to say something that would lessen the pain, but what words could fill the absence of people? Four people. The threat of danger hanging over her head, families who were strangers to her, who introduced her to a strange world she didn't belong in. It was more than anyone her age should have to deal with, that much was certain. Nothing he was going to say would make it better.

"I had no idea... I can't believe you've been facing this alone..." He'd say, almost trying to soothe himself more than her.

After everything had been said, Opeila's composure began to deteriorate. Tears falling, calling herself idiotic. Flash would not allow himself to sit on his laurels any longer, using a tree nearby to support himself as he stood up."Stop that, you're not crazy!" Flash would chastise her words, disdainful of the voice he recognized from his own self-deprecation. "Come here-"

Once he hobbled up, there was only a short space between them, and he would offer his arms for a big hug if she would only complete the journey. It was not an unusual conclusion to one of their talks, in fact it seemed almost all of them culminated in a big hug. Perhaps it was not going to solve anything, but there was little else more effective at making someone feel less alone. Whether she accepted or not, he would continue to speak softly.

"I'm... thank you for telling me. You shouldn't be doing this all alone. Not when you still have people here who care about you." Flash's breathing would be heavy, trying to fill the hitches that threatened to make him bleary-eyed as well. "I can't say I'm always the best judge, but I don't want to hear you ran into danger by yourself when... when maybe I could have helped you. Right? I will always help you if I can, I hope you know that."

For a moment Opeila kept her hand where it was, pressing her eyes shut, keeping her self control from slipping away entirely. Flash had not said more than a few words the whole time she had been talking the shadows that had kept her distant from everyone for so long- too long- off her mind and now she felt... worn out. Physically, perhaps from the run, perhaps from finally sharing this burden with her best friend. She wanted to cry until her tears ran dry, but at the same time she didn't. Not again.

For the first time she had believed it. For the second too. That if she only cried it all out, the day after would look brighter, she would be powerful enough to tackle whatever came her way next, but no, not this time. This kind of pain didn't go away, the wound did never heal completely, reopened at the slightest cause.
Eventually Flash had interrupted her, told her she wasn't crazy and perhaps he was right. Perhaps she wasn't crazy, perhaps the way she dealt with it was good and understandable. But Opeila didn't want to let herself believe it. If she believed it, it meant that all this was right. And it couldn't be. There had to be a way for her to change this all.

This time, Opeila didn't immediately accept his hug, didn't immediately see it, actually. The young Slytherin had never really hid her feelings from Flash in her first year but after a year of doing it, she couldn't let go of it entirely. So she hid in her hand, waited until she had enough self control again to know that she wouldn't burst into tears when she looked at him again.
When she finally looked at him again, she knew she had misjudged it. Her bottom lip started to tremble, and before she could start crying again, Opeila went over and carefully accepted his hug, not wanting to hurt his leg anymore.

"You- You shouldn't be standing if your leg hurts...", Opeila sniffed, feeling responsible to say something as a healing intern, her whole body trembling in Flash's arms. She could hear him speak softly, thanking her for telling him, telling her that she shouldn't carry it alone, not if there were people who cared about her here. That finally started the tears again, Opeila took a sharp, shuddering breath. "I was- I am scared...", she responded, closing her mouth again when he continued, asking her not to run into danger again when he could have helped her. He would always help her. Opeila managed a nod, her throat feeling tight. "You- You're my best friend." The third year turned her head, hid her face against his chest, waited until the tears stopped flowing, before she finally took a step back.

"I- I'm sorry", she said, wiping her eyes and nose with a handkerchief- she always had one with her now. "Erm... Is your leg okay? I guess now it's me, keeping you from breakfast." The words seemed to fall out of her mouth now with a stifled voice, a weak attempt to overplay the emotions that had overcome her, well, and definitely some real concern too.

There was hesitation in Opeila before she returned his gaze again, but eventually she moved, and her tears came with it. While there, the wetness in his own eyes would shed something as well. It was never easy to see someone you cared about crying, his empathy was strong enough to destroy the dam he kept there. When she mentioned his leg, he'd chuckle a bit, squeezing her tightly for a moment. "I'm alright." He could reply under his breath, as they were so close.

It would seem his words weren't wasted on her, as they rarely ever were. Though she was sometimes reckless and careless, there was great weight to the title of being her friend. He knew that meant something, that it was a loyal pact. Flash would say no more, not wanting her to hear his voice break if it decided to. They would just hug and cry a bit, something that was necessary from time to time when life was difficult.

Once they finally finished, she wiped her eyes, Flash doing the same with a sleeve. "Yes, I should be able to walk just fine. I suppose eating is a good idea." Once his face was cleared, he kicked his leg a few times in the air to prove its viability. "Let's go."

He actually felt better, even though it had been news of a great personal tragedy. Somehow, a cathartic cry and embrace had done him more good than the jog itself. He'd have to remember that.

As the two Slytherins remained in their hug and quietly cried out all the bundled up feelings, Opeila slowly felt her muscles relax, as if they were letting go of a weight she had never been aware off. It had been too long since she had spoken to Flash like this, more than small talk or easy topics that would leave either of them with something to think over for a little longer.

At the same time it wasn't like Opeila hadn't noticed that it was her again, only her who talked about her greatest worries, the things that kept her awake at night, but she wouldn't pry. She just hoped that he was aware that he could if he wanted to, her could always talk. The only secrets Opeila sucked at keeping seemed to be her own. Always.

When they let go of each other again, Opeila saw that he also wiped his eyes, and a more real chuckle escaped her now. "Oh no... I'm sorry, I- I totally ruined our morning, didn't I?" Her tone was not one of regret, but more lighthearted, trying to redirect the conversation to easier topics again.
His leg seemed fine again, she watched him kick a few times and nodded when he suggested to go on.

And really, there was no denying that she did feel better.