31 Mar 2023, 17:56
when lion and snake collide
7:45 p.m., December 1st, 2023
God, what a day. No, scratch that, what a week. What a whole month, actually, that November had been. It had actually been alright-- a little unbearable and stressful, but alright-- until a few weeks ago, when Rhys got into a fight with that Slytherin and, as a result, simultaneously got a Howler and a reputation as the first year Gryffindor with anger management issues. It wasn't enough that they were already an outcast to begin with, and that the fight wasn't even really their fault. Their father-- pure-blooded, reputation-driven lawyer that he was, had to make sure that they felt thoroughly reprimanded for their actions, lest he look like a bad parent. And while Rhys had been actually anticipating winter break three weeks ago, they now simultaneously dreaded it. For one, they'd have to face their father. And man was their father a scary man, especially when you were on the other end of his anger.
The worst part was that Rhys's dad wouldn't just outright punish them at the start of break. He'd be all passive aggressive about it and just let the silence between them drag on, all the while picking them apart psychologically and further adding to their list of Reasons For Trauma (patent pending). And, to make matters worse, Rhys didn't have anyone to vent their frustrations to, so they built up and resulted in the young Gryffindor being rather moody and short-tempered. Well, more than usual. Tensions were already running high enough with everything that had happened recently, but with the added pressure of winter break almost upon them, Rhys was even more of a nervous wreck. Inwardly, of course. They always kept their emotions on the inside, so as not to let anything show. But their shell was on the verge of cracking. And, once it did, the flood gates were sure to open and everything would have to be dealt with, one way or another.
So it was reasonable that, as soon as the last class of the day was dismissed, the first thing on Rhys's mind was some alone time. Not dinner, not going to a club, they needed to be alone. And they had to gradually take more and more extreme efforts in order to secure that solitude, as the last place that had seemed 'safe' had been the very scene of the fight that they had been involved in. And it didn't matter that they had won and gained a bit of a reputation and that they might more or less be left alone if they tried going to the Great Lake again, Rhys didn't even want to see anyone else immediately around them. So, they walked through the corridors, sure to find one eventually that was more or less unused and absent of any other human presence.
As Rhys walked, the amount of people they passed thinned out, until the corridors they walked through were more or less empty. They let out a sigh of relief as the amount of people they counted dwindled, and they rounded the next corner. They did so with confidence, sure that the next corridor would be the one they were looking for: empty, quiet, and with no one but the ghosts to observe as Rhys regained their composure. But they ended up running smack-dab into another student, one who was fairly taller than them, and had to sort of scurry their feet to keep from stumbling back.
"Great, just what I--" Rhys stopped when they glanced up at the other student, freezing when they got a good look at them. Their hair, much more ginger than Rhys's was, was cut short in a pixie cut, and they had sharp, angled features that stuck out at Rhys. But it was their eyes, and their robes, that really stopped Rhys. Fuck, this was another Slytherin. A Slytherin that they'd been about to mouth-off to mere seconds before. A Slytherin that, while only having two inches on Rhys, it would not be wise to fight mere weeks after their previous altercation at the Lake, especially not this close to winter break. They closed their mouth, choosing not to say anything as they swallowed and tried to keep from looking pissed off. They failed.
Reducio
@Qrow Beithir
OOC Note
Reducio
This is before Rhys dies their hair over break, so please refer to Sophia Lillis as Sydney Novak in IANOWT for hair color 
Last edited by Rhys Read on 10 Apr 2023, 13:31, edited 7 times in total.
31 Mar 2023, 20:36
when lion and snake collide
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Classes had felt as if they were growing longer the closer it got to Christmas break, and as much as Qrow loved to learn, sitting still for such extensive periods of time was beginning to drive them stir crazy. It certainly didn’t help matters that as soon as the young Slytherin seemed to have caught up on their homework it would only pile up all over again. They had been spending so much time in the library recently that they were starting to dread going there. The classes combined with all the homework had meant that Qrow had had little time to just relax recently, and as the stress piled up, they felt as if they were ready to snap.
The workload wasn’t the only thing that had been stressing them out. As Christmas grew closer, so did their families annual yule party, and having three parents meant that there would be three different families - that didn’t necessarily get along with each other - all in the same house.
Their mothers side basically ensured that the child would never get any sort of privacy, with 20, perhaps closer to 30, cousins of varying ages (At least with how big Hogwarts was, it was easy to avoid family whilst here). Qrow was just happy that not all of their mothers siblings would be attending this year…
Their dad, Hephaestus, thankfully was an only child with a single mother, and Qrow believed their Nana to be the most magnificent woman on the planet. Her constant travels always left her to tell some of the most interesting stories, most of which involved magical creatures. Of course, Nana Ironwood being there would mean that at least seven different arguments would entail, all of which were often fought against Qrow’s other Grandmother, Hel Beithir.
Both women had such potent personalities and strong opinions that it was practically impossible for the pair of them to stand in the same room for longer than five minutes without starting some sort of argument. It was always the most irritating part of the Holidays, Qrow so rarely seeing either of their grandmothers, one due to travels and the other due to… Well, Qrow was rather unsure as to why they never saw the Beithir side of their family.
All of this stress circled the first year's mind as they wandered through the sparsely populated corridors in a pointless attempt of clearing their head before they, once again, settled in the library.
Rounding the corner was their last straw.
It wasn’t as if they were being quiet - for fucks sake, the hallway was basically empty, and yet some idiot still managed to walk right into them. They barely registered whatever the student attempted to say, only taking notice as they looked up, and - oh - did they look pissed.
Unfortunately, this only seemed to fuel the Slytherins' anger, and as soon as Qrow caught sight of the signature Red and Gold that decorated the Gryffindor uniform, they snapped. Rising up to their full height, they glowered at the student in front of them.
“What? Can’t watch where you’re bloody going?” They paused, sneering at the crimson coloured robes before hissing out their next sentence. “And of-fucking-course you’re a Gryffindor! You lot are all the same, heads so far up your own asses that you barely notice anyone around you!”
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code by Lucia Fox
Last edited by Qrowley Beithir on 8 Apr 2023, 19:08, edited 1 time in total.
3 Apr 2023, 17:41
when lion and snake collide
“What? Can’t watch where you’re bloody going?” The taller student sneered down at Rhys, hissing out their next words. “And of-fucking-course you’re a Gryffindor! You lot are all the same, heads so far up your own asses that you barely notice anyone around you!"
Rhys's face prickled hotly with anger and indignation as they endured this verbal harassment for a few moments, just long enough for the Slytherin to finish their attack, plus an added moment so Rhys could make sure that they were done talking and that it was, in fact, their turn to react.
"Gee, stereotype much?" Rhys snapped back, raising a dark brow. Their eyebrows were darker than their actual hair color, which was somewhat ginger, somewhat a light brown (depending on the perception), and Rhys felt they often struck out as a prominent feature. Paired with their eyes, which were constantly shifting from blue to green to some sort of combination of both, their eyebrows were definitely among the more note-worthy features of their face. They planned to dye their hair over break, so come January their hair and eyebrows would match, but for the time being, this kid would be among the last to encounter Rhys as they were, in their natural state of looking. "Big talk for a Slytherin," Rhys narrowed their eyes, doing their best to look intimidating despite the height difference between the two. "Never before has there been a house so full of pure-blood supremacy and inbreeding as the one of the Snakes." They gave a heavy eye-roll, clearly disgusted with this asshole that was definitely barking up the wrong tree.
Rhys already had to deal with a bunch of Slytherin/Pureblood bullshit from their grandparents and relatives on their father's side of the family, who, for the most part, had all been Slytherins. Their father, though, had been Ravenclaw, and they were vaguely aware that they had an estranged older cousin/aunt/whatever twice removed that had been Hufflepuff, but no one talked about her. Family gatherings with the Reads were interesting to say the least, and Rhys honestly felt bad for their mother whenever their dad's side of the family paid a visit. And don't even get Rhys started on their cousins. Bloody hell, they were a nightmare!
"And it was an accident, yeah? Just trying to find somewhere to bloody focus, for once." Rhys muttered, crossing their arms. They knew they should tone it down, lest they be involved in another fight. They were on thin enough ice with their father as it was.
ReducioInteracting with @Qrow Beithir
Last edited by Rhys Read on 5 Apr 2023, 12:47, edited 1 time in total.
3 Apr 2023, 20:14
when lion and snake collide
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"Big talk for a Slytherin." The other students' eyes narrowed. "Never before has there been a house so full of pure-blood supremacy and inbreeding as the one of the Snakes."
The Gryffindor had hit a nerve, and Qrow barely acknowledged what next came out of the student's mouth, too caught up in the way their vision blurred and their brows furrowed. They needed to calm down before they did something they would regret.
The Slytherins stance widened; their fists clenched, and their faces became hot. Anger boiled and bubbled just under the surface of their skin, and the sound of their own blood rushed in their ears. Their hands were beginning to turn white, and if they clenched them any tighter, they would break skin.
Before starting Hogwarts, their father, Daemon, had pulled them aside and warned them about the probability that people would say things about pure-bloods and inbreeding. The child had barely heeded the warning, too excited at the prospect of getting on the train, but now, having somebody assume things about their family, made their skin crawl with anger.
Take a deep breath. For fucks sake, control yourself.
They wanted to scream and shout until their voices became raw, but losing control would mean losing form, and Qrow Beithir would not allow some stranger to watch as they fell apart.
Finally, they took a breath, relaxing their stance and coldly regarding the student in front of them. They held their heads high as their eyes bore into the blue-green of the students, the light of the hallway causing the acidic green shade to almost glow. As they spoke, their voice was chillingly calm, each syllable laced with harsh, bitter venom.
"I understand I upset you, but you have absolutely no right to mention anything about my blood status and, by extension, my family." They paused. It was humbling to have somebody that wasn’t immediately intimidated by their cold demeanour, and, whilst Qrow would never willingly befriend a lion, it wouldn’t be the smartest idea to make an enemy.
"I don’t apologise, so don’t expect it, but if you’re looking for somewhere quiet, there’s a classroom on this corridor that is usually empty." They stopped, pausing again before adding, "I’m heading there now, so you’ll have to deal with me if you’re coming -- unless you feel like proving my earlier point. "
And with that, the Slytherin stalked down the corridor towards the classroom.
ReducioQrow's speech colour: #064107
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code by Lucia Fox
4 Apr 2023, 17:47
when lion and snake collide
"I understand I upset you, but you have absolutely no right to mention anything about my blood status and, by extension, my family." The taller student paused to assess Rhys, seeming to mentally debate something before making a decision.
"I don’t apologise, so don’t expect it, but if you’re looking for somewhere quiet, there’s a classroom on this corridor that is usually empty." They stopped, pausing again before continuing. "I’m heading there now, so you’ll have to deal with me if you’re coming -- unless you feel like proving my earlier point."
Rhys allowed themself a scoff/snort combination noise, before begrudgingly hurrying to catch up to the Slytherin. "Alright, fine. I was reacting according to how I was greeted. Call it gut-instinct. So I won't apologise, either." They huffed, side-eyeing the other student.
The Slytherin student wasn't altogether that bad-looking, which, paired with their witty responses, made it hard for Rhys to abjectly dislike them from the get-go. Don't get me wrong, Rhys was very much in the throes of crushing for someone else, but that didn't stop them from noticing attractiveness in others. It seemed that attractive people were everywhere that Rhys went, and it definitely didn't help that they were panromantic on top of that. Their admiration for looks knew no limits. But it wasn't like they'd ever tell anyone they were good-looking. Rhys would rather eat their own fist than expose themself or show any sign of vulnerability or admiration.
"Oh, you mean the one about Gryffindors being self-absorbed and egotistical?" They snorted. "Well, I won't discourage you there-- most of them really are narcissistic and toxic with pride, my oldest brother definitely among them,-- but I'll have you know I didn't choose these robes. I very much expected to be sorted into Slytherin, just like you, because I'm nothing like my brothers." They rolled their eyes, huffing as they entered the classroom with the other student. "Though I'd say we could perhaps both learn a thing or two about not judging someone solely based off of appearances," They said after a moment, a peace offering of sorts.
Reducio
Interacting with @Qrow Beithir
also Rhys's speech: #550c00
also Rhys's speech: #550c00
Last edited by Rhys Read on 5 Apr 2023, 12:47, edited 2 times in total.
5 Apr 2023, 11:15
when lion and snake collide
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"Though I'd say we could perhaps both learn a thing or two about not judging someone solely based on appearances," they said after a moment, perhaps as a way of making small talk.
What in Merlin's name had even possessed them to invite this student to come with them? They had found the quiet classroom in hopes of being able to practise spells and complete their homework away from prying eyes, and now they were willingly bringing someone else with them? Not even 5 minutes ago, they had both seemed ready to punch each other's lights out!
Not only that, but Qrow hadn’t expected them to be quite so... talkative, though it was nice to listen to the students talk in comparison to listening to their own thoughts. Perhaps this wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
It helped that the other student wasn’t necessarily bad-looking either; they were short and somewhat stocky with a slightly pudgy face and defined, sharp features, covered in a light mottle of freckles. Their eyes were a blue-green sort of hazel, and their hair was a rather messy, gingery-brown pixie cut, which was a stark contrast to their eyebrows, which seemed to be much darker.
They—wait, what was this student's name?
For someone raised by a man who valued manners, especially manners that tied him to the upper class, Qrow seemed to have completely forgotten to introduce themselves. Though, it’s not as if it’s normal to almost start a fist fight in the corridor and then invite the other person to come sit with you.
Still, if their father saw them now, he’d be disappointed at their lack of manners, and that thought was almost enough to convince the Slytherin to apologise for earlier. Not quite, but almost.
"If you’re coming with me, I suppose it’s only polite for me to introduce myself. Qrow Beithir, and my pronouns are they/them.”
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code by Lucia Fox
5 Apr 2023, 18:13
when lion and snake collide
"If you’re coming with me, I suppose it’s only polite for me to introduce myself. Qrow Beithir, and my pronouns are they/them.” Ah, there it was. The eventual introduction, which indeed confirmed Rhys's suspicions that this particular Slytherin was in the queer community. They were very androgynous-appearing, and while Rhys didn't try to assume pronouns before they knew for sure, if they had tried to sort Qrow into any gender category, the best they would be able to guess would be in the non-binary/genderfluid gray area that they themself resided in for the time being.
This in itself was a relief, since Rhys had a fear of the unknown when it came to interpersonal details. When it came to actual mysteries (such as why Bernard virtually dropped off the face of the planet), they were less anxious and more determined just to get to the bottom of things.
"Yeah, I figured I may as well tag along, I guess." Rhys gave a shrug, as if they couldn't really care less. The truth was they could, or they were starting to care more than they would. Qrow intrigued them, and Rhys was keen to find out just where this interaction would go. They turned towards the taller student, raising a brow. "Oh, yeah? Mine, too. I'm Rhys, Rhys Read." They paused, considering Qrow's name. "Qrow... is that spelled like the bird? Or a different spelling? Out of pure curiosity, I am inclined to ask." They reached the classroom, and Rhys paused to look up at Qrow.
Reducio
@Qrow Beithir