Cool Shady spot. pv Ari

Ari didn't like going outside in the cold. The chill it sent through him would make him irritated. Cold weather was just uncomfortable.

But here he was, walking outside to the courtyard like it was an enjoyable day. The air was cool, but not deathly cold like the previous month. Nevertheless, it was coat weather, and Ari was wearing his black coat over his outfit, which was...black as usual. Ari's closet consisted of almost all black and white clothes, and it was better that way.

He reached the courtyard, the stone scattered setting darkened by the grey clouds overhead. It was an aesthetic Ari liked, fitting for his photo album. Sadly, he did not have a camera of some sort on his body, and would have to leave the soothing gloom to move forward beyond the school grounds.

There were a couple of students in various spots around the area, but one caught Ari's eye. He recognized a girl from Ravenclaw's broom racing team. Her name was Clair. She was a very enjoyable person, but Ari didn't know her too well.

He walked towards her slowly, happy to not be alone, but nervous to have female company. Maybe, just maybe, he'd come out of his shell a little as he got to know her.

Sitting down on her left side on the cold stone bench, he glanced at the book she held in her hands. He couldn't make the words out from where he was at, but she seemed immersed in it. It mesmerized him.

"Whatcha got there, Clair?" Ari asked quietly, curiously.

WC: 263

Interacting: @Clair Fernandez

Ari jumped a little bit at the same time she did. His last intention was to startle her, yet that was just what he'd done. He gave her a relaxed smile in an effort to calm her now shot nerves.

"Blue Moon Rising...hm...that's a title I'm unfamiliar with," He responded, his eyes tracing along the lines of text on the paper. "It sounds like you're enjoying it very much so far. As for myself, I simply came out for fresh air. I dislike the cold, yet I find myself going into the chill often at this school. Hogwarts makes me do things I normally wouldn't, that's for sure."

Ari looked away for a moment, a light breeze hitting the back of his neck. His bright blue eyes widened, and a wince left his clenched teeth. He pulled the hood of his coat up un an effort to retain some body heat.

"Cold wind. Gotta love it, right?" He raised an eyebrow mischievously, then laughed, wrapping his arms around himself. "Brrrrr..."

Ari's laughed trailed off on the dying breeze, and he found himself looking at Clair's eyes, a lovely blue color like his own. His were a little brighter though, but hers were...beautiful. How come he'd never noticed them until now. They complimented her brown hair very nicely.

Why was he just now noticing how pretty she was? Those eyes were so easy to get lost in. So, so easy....

Snap out of it, Ari! What's wrong with you?

WC: 248

Interacting: @Clair Fernandez

Ari felt his ears flush red as well as his cheeks. What was he doing? He was supposed to just be relaxing, talking to a friend about a book, but was he? No. He was admiring her eyes and the fire that burned behind them for the first time, admiring her smile, her voice. He felt nervousness settle deep in his gut. Social anxiety was something he just couldn't seem to avoid, and girls made it so much worse. In a good way, of course.

"Sorry. I got lost in thought," He said shyly, tightening the hug he had wrapped himself in to the point his muscles trembled beneath his coat. "But yes. I read books. There are a few muggle series I'm familiar with courtesy of the school I went to, one of those series being the Wings Of Fire one that you mentioned. Naturally, you would expect Wizarding folk to be attracted to stories of dragons and wars and prophecies."

Ari let out a heavy sigh and watched his breath steam in the cold air. His mind went to the next race to provide her with an answer. "I have no idea. Hopefully it will work in our favor. We won't know until the day arrives. But it helps not to think about it often. Watched pots never boil, as they say," He told her, avoiding her gaze out of fear of getting lost in it once again. The eyes were a gateway to the soul, and from what Ari could see, Clair had a beautiful soul, and it wouldn't hurt to get to know her more. He needed a close friend, and badly.

"Y'know, come to think of it, I actually don't know that much about you, Clair. That's a shame. I'm your co-captain, so I should make it a point to know my team. Please, enlighten me. Tell me about yourself. Whatever you have to say, I'll listen."

He now shifted and positioned himself to face her, sitting cross-legged on the stone bench. There was enough room to be comfortable doing so. He propped his chin on his hand, and his elbow rested on his knee.

WC: 360

Interacting: @Clair Fernandez

@Ari Gwild

Ari listened attentively to every word Clair had to say. As she spoke, he realized he didn't even know that much about others that he considered friends here at Hogwarts. That was noteworthy considering what little time he and Clair had spent together.

"Intriguing. Our lifes are very different from what you've told me," He said, running a hand through his hair, but it just fell back in the same place. "I'm from Barking, which is a part of East London. It's actually a rather dodgy area. Um, what else? I'm an only child, and both of my parents are wizards. Dad is a Ravenclaw, and my mum is a Slytherin. They call me a Ravenclaw with Slytherin tendencies." He laughed again at the end, more to himself, but it brought comfort to think of his parents. He missed them dearly.

"Interests....music. I love music. It's my life. Strange for me to say as a pureblood, but I very much like muggle music, and could tell you a lot about it if you don't know much already. I also love quidditch. It's an incredible sport to watch. I can speak Korean thanks to a Korean muggle friend from my prior schooling. I helped him learn English, so he taught me his language in return. I like drawing, but I don't do it often. I like to sing a lot. My favorite color is black. I like warm weather. Writing is also another hobby. Birds are wonderful creatures. I like reading about the human body. I have a goldfish named Verne. And.....and...I think that's all for now.

Ari had surprised himself with how much he had spoken, how much he had opened up to Clair. He wasn't like that with people, but he felt at ease now around her. Maybe he could do this more often.

"Oh, and you're, um, really really pretty," He blurted. Then, he clamped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide in fear as his heart began to race nervously.

Annnnnd there goes your chance of having a friend. Good going genius. This is why you stay in your room and keep your mouth shut. Because if you don't, you'll blurt out your feelings and then you'll ruin whatever good thing was surprisingly happening to you.

WC: 379

Interacting: @Clair Fernandez

Ari hid his face in his hands in an attempt to hide the furious shade of red he was turning. She thought he was nice-looking, too? This was terrifying! This had never happened before!

"Thanks,"He said shakily, voice muffled by his hands. Why was he still talking? He needed to be quiet before he ruined anything else.

The wind picked up, a biting edge to the cold in the air. Ari began to shiver from the chill that had managed to grow even colder as time moved on. The heat from his face helped, though.
Now, he felt the need to address the silence that smothered the air between the two of them.

"Sorry, that just made things really awkward," He started, hoping to get back to the original conversation. He removed his hands from his face and looked back up at Clair, noticing that tint of pink that graced her skin now."So, you live in Carlisle on a farm. You have two sisters that are both Slytherins, and therefore I assume attend Hogwarts as well. You're multilingual. Your sister doesn't talk to you because you aren't in the same house as she, and you grew up with a girl named Fern who resents you moving schools.
Now, since you've started here, you've had your 12th birthday and have a pet rabbit named Comet."

Ari let all the information sink in. Now he knew more about this girl than he did...anyone else at this school. Talk about being social.

"Look, Clair..." Ari let his voice trail off as he considered what to say next. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, turning the air around him into fog. "Truth is, I like you. A lot. We should do something together sometime, get to know each other even more. You're an interesting person."

WC: 306

Interacting: @Clair Fernandez