Troublesome, Troublesome PV ⇉ R. Cazares Closed

Ruby was an observant, analytical, calculating girl who was quick to learn and even quicker to commit things to memory. She could remember things much easier than most others could, and she had already sketched and took note of most parts of Hogwarts, both inside and out. However, this was the second time that she was pretty lost. Both times, she had allowed herself to get distracted by losing herself in her thoughts.

Normally, the consistant clicking sound against hard floors as she walked helped her to think, and the times she had got lost were no different. It was a habit she had got into before she got to Hogwarts, and she had only recently started to do the same in order to think inside the school. Usually, in the time that she had been here, she went to her dormitory or the Slytherin common room to think – either those places or outside – but she had no time for that today. There were important things that she needed to think about, and she didn't want to get too distracted in class, so she had left to wander the hallways a while before class started.

The main problem was that there were moving staircases here. If someone wasn't paying enough attention and were just wandering, it was very easy to get lost. Ruby had lost her points of reference and wasn't completely sure where she was now. She had just snapped out of the daze she had been in and realized that she needed to get to Charms as soon as possible. Oh, great. What am I supposed to do now? She looked around, hoping to see someone. No luck in several directions. She appeared to be standing in the shadows of a corridor, near a platform of some sort.

That was when she saw the boy. He seemed very shaken up and, judging by that and a couple of other details, Ruby guessed that he was lost. She was pleased when she saw the Slytherin crest on his robes. Here was someone who she could try and get to class with, and someone who could possibly be a new friend. After chiding herself silently for getting lost, and for the second time at that, she shuffled her feet slightly, preparing to go talk to the boy. She watched his gaze dart to her and settle there, and he spoke a second later, asking who was there. She stepped out of the shadows.

She was a girl of roughly average height with brown hair in a plait down her back, pretty blue eyes, and a skin tone that was a variation of white. She stood straight-backed and carried herself with a natural air of sharp intelligence, quiet confidence, sophistication, and something else – something strong. Maybe it was passion, maybe power, maybe ambition, or maybe all three, but it would be hard to tell with a single look. Ruby wasn't very aware of the way she appeared to others, although people had made comments on her "air" before. To her, it wasn't something she had practiced, but instead something that came to her naturally and felt normal. It had been this way for most of Ruby's life, and it didn't tell other people anything in particular that she wouldn't want them to know, so she kept it.

"Hello," she said, finally answering the boy, "my name's Ruby. Who are you, and would you happen to be lost?"

The girl who emerged from the shadows took mere seconds for him to analyze. Where to start, where to start...? New people were always fun to pick apart and rebuild, complete with his observations and notes. How about the robes? The school-issued robes were always a good place to start- tended to give a lot of information about a person. His own robes were impeccably clean, with few wrinkles and stains, and his white shirt underneath was crisp and clean. It was clear that he came from at least some money, even from just the way he presented himself, the way he spoke. 

His eyes flicked over to the emerald and silver crest on her robes, and the corners of his mouth barely tilted upward in a small smile. A fellow Slytherin- in fact, he vaguely recognized her face. From there, it was easy to deduce that she was most likely a fellow first year as well, especially when you considered her height.

She was barely taller than him, perhaps by a centimetre, two at most? Unless she was ridiculously short, then, she would have to be one of the younger years- because she looked just as scared and lost as he did. Second years wouldn't be caught dead looking clueless as they wandered the halls, and it was assumed that third years knew the corridors better than the backs of their hands, at that point. And thus, through logic, she was a first year.

The way she held herself was interesting, too. He would've assumed that she was a pure-blood, but at the same time, he was hesitant to do so. Unlike most pure-blooded children, who held so much faith and pride in their last names, she had only said her first. Was she a pure-blood who didn't care about her name, or just a well-bred child?

Ruby, she said her name was. Ruby, like the red gemstone- a pretty name, but not one he particularly liked. He didn't have anything against the name itself, but he also didn't understand why parents would ever want to name their children after a rock. After all, that's all gems and jewels were- an alignment, a stacking of atoms in such a structure that they were solid and shone brightly in the sunlight. They were pretty, yes, but still- rocks.

She was bold, he'd give her that much- practically interrogating him for his name, then promptly assuming that he was lost. Raising a singular eyebrow, he readjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "I'm Elijah," he said hesitantly, clearly still slightly wary of the girl who had appeared out of nowhere. "And- I'm not lost, per se, but I did just nearly pitch myself over these stairs," he bluffed, gesturing to the aforementioned stairs. 

"Are you lost?" He tried to keep his voice from hitting that condescending tone that it always took on when he volleyed questions back at people, not wanting to scare the girl away. If she wasn't lost, and she was a first year Slytherin... well, then, she was headed the same way he was, to Charms. He'd have someone to follow, so he could stop taking wrong turns and nearly falling off of floating platforms- really, that would be quite an ugly way to end the day, falling off of platforms sixty feet up in the air.

Of course, Ruby had already started to make analyses of her own when she first saw Elijah from the shadows. After all, it was in her nature and she had been doing it for years. She watched his eyes dart across to her robes and the Slytherin crest upon them. Her robes were nearly as pristine as Elijah's, and she was impressed that his were that clean and perfectly in place. Was he a pureblood too, or just careful about his appearance? She studied his face discreetly but carefully. A second later, he spoke, offering his name in response to her initial question. Elijah... which pureblood families had a first year son called Elijah?

She had deliberately left out her own last name. She didn't want to be judged by who her family was before she even made herself known to him, as she had realized recently that she wasn't exactly proud of her parents anymore. Then again, wasn't she trying to figure out who Elijah's family was before she knew him? She mentally sighed. Fine, she'd give him the chance he deserved first, and they'd probably find out each other's full names soon enough. Elijah, that was a Hebrew name... did he have a Hebrew background or did his parents just like the name? The meaning of the name was a declaration of who God was to some people. Some names had more interesting meanings, but Ruby liked the name itself well enough.

His next comment almost made her laugh, and a slight smile played across her lips. “In that case, I hope you're okay. Almost pitching oneself over the stairs can be quite a shock.” She noted his wariness and hoped that she wouldn't scare him off. It would be nice to have another friend, and she was really in need of more friends, especially closer ones. Right now, however, she had to focus on the situation at hand. “I suppose you could say I am a bit lost. I made the mistake of zoning out for a moment and I think the stairs moved, because I would have recognized the area even if I took a wrong turn. It shouldn't take too long for me to find my way again, if I can get back to one of the main corridors.” She eventually decided to apologize for emerging from the shadows so suddenly, even if apologizing wasn't something she felt the need to do often. “Sorry if I scared you a bit by appearing so suddenly, I didn't realize how dark it is where I was standing.” That was a partial lie. She knew that she had been in the darkness of the shadows but she hadn't intended to be, and she didn't fully realize that he didn't see her.

She waited for a reply, knowing that she hadn't exactly made the best first impression. Oh well. If he was friend material, he'd be fine enough anyway, even if it wasn't great. Normally, she would have attempted to make a good first impression, as she fully understood the importance of them, but she really didn't have time. Even though she would still be early to Charms if she arrived very soon, she knew how fast time could pass and how little she had to spare.

First things first, and perhaps most interestingly, oneself. "Almost pitching oneself..." she had said. Not yourself, but oneself. The smallest, slightest of smiles tugged at the very corner of his lips, although to others, it would merely look like his lips were twitching. She spoke English well, better than most of his fellow classmates, and it was like a breath of fresh air after a stuffy winter. For now, he could simply say that he appreciated her existence more the most others', which could simply be read that he held her in very high standards, indeed. The way she studied him closely reminded him, with a small pang of nostalgia, of Cleo, who had been just as quick and calculating as him. Would he forever be on a path of searching for the Holmes to his Moriarty, looking for a challenge suitable enough for him to expend energy upon? If so, that was certainly quite depressing that he hadn't found someone like that yet.

Ruby explained her situation, which was entirely understandable. He had almost gotten a bit lost- only a bit! -and besides, they were only first years. The adorable thing, dare he say, was how confident she was in her abilities. Of course, confidence in oneself was important in order to grow and improve further as a person, but Elijah didn't quite believe in exposing that self-confidence. He kept to himself, as he always had, and never had to actually exhibit this type of confidence to feel alright. Self-validation? Just voicing her thoughts? Whatever the case, it intrigued him.

He might have to keep a closer eye on her in the future.

Her apology wasn't entirely necessary, as Elijah usually always looked this jumpy and wary, but it wasn't unappreciated. Considering that he was someone who liked to beat around the bush, to wander around the topic until finally coming to his point, he hated when apologies were long and drawn out and repetitive. Apologies needed to be short and sweet, succinct and to the point. They didn't need to tear open the wound that they had inflicted in the first place- a surgeon couldn't futz around during an operation, but instead, had to be quick and accurate before anything else bad happened.

He flashed her a small smile, nonetheless, and inclined his head gratefully. "No need to apologize, but the gesture was greatly appreciated." His voice remained unshaken even after his close call with bungee jumping without the rope, and he remained as calm and cool and collected as all snakes should be. The only slightest, barest hint that he was even at all a little bit unnerved was the slightest flaring of his nostrils, but even then, it was hardly noticeable.

Stepping forward, he joined her, before turning to the corridors. "I do believe these troublesome stairs shan't give us any more trouble should we just stick to the corridors- don't you agree?" She had obviously, by this point, deduced that the two of them would be heading the same way, to Charms class. Striding off without even so much as a glance backward at Ruby, as if he were expecting her to just follow him, he glanced left and right down the corridors before continuing onward. He was confident that he was headed in the right direction, and acted as such, walking sure-footedly without casting sideways glances at the paintings on the walls.

Ruby had watched Elijah's face as she was speaking, looking for any reaction to what she said, any change in body language – something to give away thoughts, feelings, or what he may have noticed about her. She was a little surprised when hardly anything changed – the twitch of the mouth, maybe some fleeting thought changing the look in his eyes, but nothing much that she could read. He was good, she'd give him that. Either he was very good at not letting his feelings and thoughts show through, or he was dull and boring and truly didn't have much to be noted. Ruby was completely certain that it was the former. She had seen the shining of the eyes that showed intelligence and calculation, she had seen the way he had initially examined her on first sight… no, he definitely wasn't another of the mostly boring, unintelligent students that many schools seemed to be plagued with.

In that case, that really made him quite interesting. The fact that he had been able to downplay almost falling down to who knows where, and go on and talk about it without even the slightest shake of the voice… that hadn't gone unnoticed by the young Slytherin girl. Maybe he was worth her time. Maybe she was worth his. Ruby was growing more curious about this boy as she thought of the numerous things that set him aside from the majority of other students here. His lack of revealing much just served to add to her curiosity rather than to put her off. True, since coming to Hogwarts and finally meeting other Slytherins properly, she had found some that knew the value of silence, observation, and appearing to be collected rather than saying whatever popped into their head as soon as they met someone. Even so, many of them were older or hadn't grasped the concept in the same way that Elijah seemed to.

Ruby was determined to figure out this boy. He certainly seemed worth paying attention to. If nothing else, she would be able to see him in class and notice how he interacted with others in partnerships. It wasn't like she'd be constantly watching him – she'd only spare a few glances in the next class or two, just to see how he reacted to people. That was all that was really needed. She would try and learn what she could now, but she doubted that this meeting would last very long. After all, they would be late to class if they weren't careful and time ran out.

Her thoughts were somewhat interrupted by Elijah talking. Alright, maybe she hadn't needed to apologize. She didn't do it often, but now it seemed that he didn't require an apology for the fact that she may have added to his possible shock and nerves. Ah well, he did say that he appreciated it, and it made her feel like she might not have made such a bad first impression after all. Sure, emerging from the shadows somewhat creepily and then proceeding to ask multiple questions may not have been the best way to introduce herself, but Elijah had supposedly almost fallen, and she had come directly after that event.

When he had spoken just now, he had practically been the epitome of gracious acceptance, and such an answer did deserve a reply. She gave this reply in the form of a small nod accompanied by a couple of words. “I'm glad,” she said simply, and left it at that, feeling as though it was an adequate response.

Another thing that surprised her slightly was that, after talking some more, Elijah just began walking, leaving her to follow. That was something she did. Since when was she ever a follower? She rolled her eyes. That position would, quite simply, have to change. To rectify that, she set off at a brisk pace, without rushing, until she was by his side. For now, she would have to content herself with being by his side and allowing him to lead until she figured out where, exactly, they were. She noticed the way he didn't look at the paintings either. Ruby was looking at the paintings herself, because she knew that if she found certain ones, they would act as confirmation and reassurance that they were headed in the right direction and she would know where they were again.

He also walked with such a sense of purpose and confidence. Well, that was interesting. How did a boy so confident in where he was going come to be falling off a platform somewhere where he wasn't completely not lost, hm? Was it just an act? Which part of this hadn't been true? Of course, everyone did make mistakes – it was part of being human – but something didn't quite line up here. Ruby felt the urge to ask and didn't see a need to suppress it. “Pardon me, Elijah, but if you know exactly where we are and how to get to Charms, then why did you almost fall off of a platform?” she questioned, curiosity lighting up her eyes. Her tone of voice was completely innocent – after all, she didn't see anything wrong with what she had said. It was just a question.

Reducio

Sorry for how late this is

Things have been stressful in the real world, but I'll try my best to still reply here when I can. I hope you are well, and thank you for understanding!

It seemed that neither of them liked to mince words. While sometimes Elijah could ramble on and on about topics he was truly passionate about, he had never been good at small talk with people he didn't know as well. He still had distinctly clear memories of hiding behind his sister at social gatherings their parents would drag them to, too shy and afraid to attempt to make conversation with the other people there. While he could easily put on a boisterously vocal act, blending in easily with those who could be friends with anyone, it was hard for him to put on this act when there was no one else he could share his act with. There were a few out there, like Daniel, who saw his true self on a normal basis, but they were few and far between.

It was clear that Ruby didn't appreciate anything less than the role of a leader, surfacing in the way she hurried to catch up with him as he strode down the corridors, rather than being content to just trail behind him. He allowed himself a mental pat on the back, knowing that she wasn't quite ready to try and rise above him... yet. Elijah knew already that the day would come, a day where she would try to assert her superiority and authority over him, but she would rue the day she decided to trifle with him. For now, however... for now, he would put up with her presence.

Rebellion was always inevitable.

Her question, preceded by an almost mocking 'pardon me', irritated him to no end. While he originally thought that Ruby was fairly tolerable, this question seemed to be on the verge of direct insolence. It was one of those stupid questions that Elijah couldn't stand, one of those strangely rhetorical and strangely passive aggressive tones that you couldn't quite place. He scowled, shooting a glance at Ruby as they kept walking. The actual tone of the question sounded innocent enough, and her face held no traces of any malicious intent, but the wording was still rather odd to him. There was no way that her question was entirely innocent.

Pondering an answer in his mind for a few, brief seconds, he finally answered, "Sometimes the body moves when the mind is still." A vague enough answer with a hidden nod to one of his favorite scientists, Stephen Hawking. Life had not been kind to the man, and while for him his mind would always be moving and his body always still, the two were still never in agreement. Coordination between the two had always been impossible for Professor Hawking.

Elijah couldn't help but think of football, his beloved sport, when he ran this sentence through his mind once more. Everything else in his life was ruled over by his mind; every action he made, every word he spoke was carefully calculated, planned, and thought through, but not football. He didn't have to think when he was flying down the field, wings on his feet as he fought for control over the ball. He didn't have to plan when he was trying to steal the ball away and advance it down the field. He didn't have to think it through when he was standing in front of the goal and there was a clear, unblocked path to a point. Football was simple, and life was not.

The pair continued walking, Elijah's shoes echoing across the empty corridors. While he was tall, his footsteps were light and careful, as if he were constantly treading across eggshells. He was surefooted, however, and he knew where they were headed, now. He wouldn't allow himself to make another mistake in this castle, especially one concerning directions- he made a mental note to study the map his sister had drawn for him that night to ensure that he never got lost again. 

"You got lost, too," Elijah said suddenly, quietly, shooting another glance at Ruby. Turning back to look at the path laid out in front of them, he added, "How peculiar that we were both headed to Charms, though." Small talk had never been his strong suit, and it showed. He was talking himself in circles, with nothing else to say to the Slytherin at his side. Instead, he let himself fall into silence, clearly uncomfortable with attempting to make conversation.

~ * ~

She walked on for a while beside him. This wasn't that bad. Sure, she had been a bit surprised when he had suddenly taken off, but she had rushed to catch up so that she wouldn't be left behind. She would much rather stay by Elijah's side than be standing there alone in the dark corridor, lost. There would also be no real possibility of continuing conversation and learning more about him if she simply trailed behind him. In some ways, it was still rather relieving to have someone else lead. This boy was certainly capable, confident, and intelligent.

She glanced over at him as she spoke and was a little taken aback at the hostility and displeasure that was etched into his face, even if the expression itself was fairly brief. She tilted her head slightly to the side, confused. Had she really messed up that badly? Maybe she should just stay silent now. No! That wasn't her. She was curious and wanted answers. She wondered if she should leave him alone. He didn't seem to want her here, so why bother? But they were going to the same place, and this was one of the quickest ways. There would be no point in trying to separate their paths, that would simply make things less efficient and waste time. Therefore, Elijah was stuck with her.

This could either go terribly, or something could change and they could leave on a positive note – becoming decent acquaintances, allies, or maybe even beginning a friendship. But she was getting too far ahead of herself. How could she get Elijah to not be entirely frustrated with her? He had at least answered the question she had asked aloud, though, with a response that satisfied her enough and caused her to nod and fall silent – which included her mind, for a moment. The only sound was the soft tapping of footsteps as they made their way through the corridors. If she ignored his possible hostility towards her, it was actually quite peaceful.

Ruby was always searching for people who were different – not in the way that every person was unique, but the subtle things that made some people stand out, or at least in her mind. From what she had seen, Elijah was definitely one of them. He seemed to put on a facade of normality, easily molding to blend in with people around him – or, now that she recognized him, that was what she remembered from their shared classes. He had carefully created that appearance, and that intrigued her. Why did he do it? One of the things that also set him apart was his thoughtfulness. She could see it in his eyes, hear it in the way he spoke and the words he used. Part of her hoped that he wouldn't totally turn her away, that he could forgive her for saying the wrong things or for messing up.

She felt like she should say something, apologize, but the silence was also soothing. It was not uncomfortable for her, yet she also felt like she was wasting her time by not trying to learn anything more. Interestingly enough, Elijah was the one to speak next. His words were slightly softer than they had been before. “I know,” she replied, glancing over at him when she noticed him looking. “We all make mistakes, even if they're just little errors on the way to Charms class. Besides, now we've both met someone that we didn't know before.” She chose not to mention that she didn't find it peculiar at all that they were going to the same class. They were in the same house and year, after all. Pointing that out would likely not help with the probable irritation he felt regarding her, so she kept her mouth shut after that.

~ * ~