6 Sep 2023, 08:42
Quick Question
“Quick Question” - 6.30 PM - Interacting with @Renelle Dalton - Outfit:
Reducio
The encounter he had that afternoon was still ringing in Damian’s mind: he had tried with no luck to correct someone’s behaviour in class, and when confronted her it almost became a fight for no reason whatsoever. He was simply trying to make her interested in History of Magic, and she ran away as soon as the fight had cooled down, probably to go to another class.
He had just ended his free time in the study room to revise some Potions, another subject he enjoyed studying for its precision and incredible outcomes, and was casually walking through the corridors toward the Great Hall. He had managed to concentrate enough to have a productive afternoon, but now that he was simply walking he couldn’t help but think again about what happened some hours before.
Usually when people were simply not interested and showed no signs in wanting to at least try and correct their behaviour Damian would simply drop it and leave them to their stuff, but the apology he received from the girl told him that maybe there was some hope: he probably just wanted another pair of ears that could listen to him and his speeches about events and history, apart from the club and few other people he had to study alone, or witness the bare minimum work everyone was doing.
Whatever the reason, he didn’t actively look for his classmate encountered some hours before: he knew that since they were both first-year students he would have seen her somewhere around; and he was right: among all the other students he spotted her a few metres ahead. He didn’t rush or run, it wouldn’t be coherent with him, so he sped up his walk as much as he needed to reach for her. “Hey.” he said, trying to get her attention, and really hoping she would remember his face. “We didn’t finish our conversation earlier.”
✿ Damian Christopher Hills ✿
6 Sep 2023, 09:19
Quick Question
It had not been a good day for Renelle Dalton. Like, at all.
For starters, there had been History of Magic class, which was easily one of the most boring. She wasn’t a fan of any classes by any standards, but History of Magic had to be one of the worst, just lectures for what seemed like hours on end.
And it was during one of these lessons that the second thing that made it a bad day for the Ravenclaw happened- some imperious know-it-all started an argument about how much he loved the subject, which resulted in her being twenty minutes late for next period, the third pin that popped her metaphoric emotional bubble.
Thankfully, the day was now over, and it was dinner time. As Renelle speed-walked toward the Great Hall, she prayed that nothing more was going to happen in the time period between now and until she went to bed. In all honesty, if she hadn’t been so hungry, she would have skipped dinner and headed straight to her dorm room.
Sadly, the universe was not on her side that day. Renelle was so busy feeling sorry for herself she hadn’t even heard the footsteps of someone approaching her from behind until the person was right next to her. To be fair though, there were a lot of people around her, and it was generally rather noisy.
“Hey. We didn’t finish our conversation from earlier.”
Why me? Praying that the voice didn’t belong to who she thought it did, Renelle slowly turned her heard toward the direction of the speaker. Nope. No such luck.
There, in all his polished, supercilious glory, stood Mr I Love History Of Magic. He had changed from his school robes into jeans and a sweater, but otherwise, he looked exactly the same as that afternoon.
Now, Renelle was aware that she had been the one to apologise during their argument earlier, but that was honestly more due to her not wanting to show up to class with it half over. To think of herself as the bigger person was a satisfying excuse, but the truth was, if the situation had permitted it, the girl wouldn’t probably have backed down like she did.
Renelle turned her head back to stare fixedly in front. “No,” she replied curtly. “We didn’t.”Interacting with @Damian Hills
From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
6 Sep 2023, 14:04
Quick Question
“Quick Question” - 6.30 PM - Interacting with @Renelle Dalton - Outfit:
Reducio
His attitude would have been a lot calmer and more friendly than before: he had spent the rest of his day chilling and revising and had plenty of time to recollect his temper. After dinner he would have probably read something or enjoyed his evening until it was time to go to sleep, closing overall a good day.
He was really hoping to have a good and friendly conversation with the girl from that afternoon, or if not friendly at least civil, and he was determined to not lose patience again. Once a day was more than sufficient. Besides, he didn’t want to scold her this time, as he genuinely believed the apology from the afternoon was genuine and not to stop their interaction to run somewhere else, and thought they were ready to move on.
He didn’t want to steal her too much time, he simply wanted to add something he didn’t have the time to say some hours before and then go to dinner. “Are you going to the Great Hall too?” he asked and continued to move in the flow everyone was going. She wasn’t looking very eager to talk to him, or happy in general, but he simply didn’t question it and kept talking, ignoring the dry tone she had in her reply.
“Just before you left, I asked you if you liked other subjects.” he started with a much calmer tone, his usual most of the time. “I didn’t want to do small talk, if that’s what you are thinking.” He hated small talk too, so he could understand why his question seemed a random one just to keep talking. “I just wanted to make a comparison between a subject you actually enjoy following and the class we had today. I think you just have to change your point of view to appreciate History of Magic.”
Why he was so obsessed with her and her non-existent interest in history was still a mystery, maybe he just wanted some company for dinner. He seemed quite happy to talk about it, though, even if his happiness was barely noticeable from outside with that faint smile.
The possibility of her ignoring his words and simply walking away didn’t even strike Damian’s mind, he simply was waiting for her reply to start again a productive conversation, as his usual he wasn’t simply capable of just chatting like a normal kid.
✿ Damian Christopher Hills ✿
6 Sep 2023, 14:31
Quick Question
Why anyone would want to insistently badger another person who very obviously had no interest in talking to them was a mystery to Renelle. Maybe if she ever got on better terms with this boy, that was a question she would ask, though it seemed unlikely to ever happen. Especially with what was going on right now.
“Yes, of course,” she replied to his inquiry, then added with a hint of sarcasm. “Where else could I be going, the Great Lake to take a dive?” Though if he kept pestering her, she might seriously consider that option.
It was almost impossible not to notice how different the Gryffindor’s tone was from that afternoon- from positively dripping with poison and contempt, to calm and collected. She supposed this was his usual demeanour, and was most likely all she would have ever seen of him if it weren’t for his earlier outburst. The thought did not exactly please Renelle- she was starting to think the rest of the school had dodged a bullet.
She took a deep breath. Okay, she was being unreasonably malicious. Although her previous interaction with this boy had been anything but positive, it was unfair to completely write him off forever just for that one time. Everyone lost control sometimes, after all. Right?
With this new mindset, Renelle turned toward the boy, taking care not to seem particularly hostile.“No, not really.” she paused. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t particularly dislike History of Magic. It’s really most of the subjects I have no interest in.” With some surprise, she found that the boy had a faint smile on his face, barely noticeable to outsiders. If they weren’t so close, she doubted that she would have detected it either.Interacting with @Damian Hills
From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
6 Sep 2023, 19:34
Quick Question
“Quick Question” - 6.30 PM - Interacting with @Renelle Dalton - Outfit:
Reducio
Damian didn’t like the obvious sarcasm she just had used. She could have been going to her Common Room, or the library - no, maybe not the library - or any other place. Besides, he asked mostly to have another reason to be going in the same direction. “Maybe you just wanted to sneak out by pretending to be going to dinner.” he replied coldly, ignoring the possible provocation she was sending.
From his point of view, what had happened some hours before was already deleted, including the quite nasty things he could have said or thought. A fresh start, that’s what he had in mind. He wasn’t going to force any friendly interaction, but that topic had to be studied better, or at least properly closed.
She wasn’t looking different from the afternoon: still the same bored, almost annoyed expression, and still the will to end their conversation as soon as possible. Damian did clearly notice that, he was simply ignoring it, almost as if it was a challenge with himself, ‘let’s see if I can make her change attitude’.
The new information struck him like a bolt. “What?” he asked, still maintaining his collected and cold attitude but slightly surprised. “Seriously? May I ask why?” he added, somehow finding again his lost manners and composure. It must have been quite confusing for her to see two of the extremes of Damian’s personality, and he didn’t even realise it.
“Hm... perhaps the professors had failed to interest you with their subjects. Curious.” The last sentence was probably for himself, as he brought a hand to his chin and started thinking and mumbling something. He couldn’t believe there were actual people not interested in what they were learning, but maybe he had to widen his sight.
Reducio
Renelle has the permission to GM Damian
Last edited by Damian Hills on 7 Sep 2023, 14:18, edited 1 time in total.
✿ Damian Christopher Hills ✿
7 Sep 2023, 02:44
Quick Question
Renelle bit back a retort to the boy’s suggestion with some difficulty. Why would she even want to sneak out? True, she supposed she had made the impression of being the exact opposite of a stereotypical 'good student' from their previous interactions, but in all honesty, she wasn’t really the type to easily break rules for no good reason.
In fact, that was more Gryffindor’s area of expertise. She chose not to say this to the boy beside her, however. You’re trying to be nice, remember?
It was almost comical how taken aback the Gryffindor was by Renelle’s revelation that she was not a fan of any type of studying or classes. Dropping his collected demeanour ever so slightly, he inquired as to her reasoning for this attitude.
Ir I’d known, don’t you think I would have done something about it? she thought sarcastically. And what was up with the chin-stroking and ‘furious’, anyway. They were eleven, not eighty. The Ravenclaw was making an effort to be friendly and non-judgmental, but this boy’s word choice and gestures were making it increasingly difficult for her to do so.
Honestly, if Renelle hadn’t been feeling so hostile to this boy from the get-go, she might have found it all rather amusing. As it was, though, that was not quite the case.
“Yes, very curious,” she replied rather scathingly. So much for being ‘nice’. Renelle had never been patient with people who ducked around the point of the dialogue without ever reaching the point, however, and this boy was fitting into that category at the moment.
They were rapidly approaching the Great Hall. As Renelle watched, the doors came closer and closer. Sighing inwardly, she abruptly gripped the boy by the arm (not enough to hurt, of course), and turned, manoeuvring out of the current of students fighting to reach the Great Hall with some difficulty, dragging the boy with her.
Ducking into a less hectic corridor, she finally turned toward the boy. “Look,” she stared fixedly at him. “Whatever you have to say, just say it outright. We’re gonna reach the Great Hall soon, so please don’t drag it out. I’m hungry.”Interacting with @Damian HillsReducioNote: Permission was given to godmode.
Last edited by Renelle Dalton on 7 Sep 2023, 16:06, edited 1 time in total.
From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
7 Sep 2023, 13:54
Quick Question
“Quick Question” - 6.30 PM - Interacting with @Renelle Dalton - Outfit:
Reducio
Her expressions were all very much clear to Damian, it was obvious she wasn’t happy at all to be talking again with him, even if this time his attitude was as friendly as it could: he wasn’t shouting, he was taking interest in her point of view and there was also a hint of smile. Of course, for most people his non-verbal language could have been seen as cold and detached, almost the total opposite of friendly, but he wasn’t noticing that.
Damian was simply ignoring all the signs she was sending him to just stop and go live his best life, it was impossible for someone to not want some tips by the best student in Hogwarts, title he had given himself of course.
He should have probably reconsidered what he was trying to do at that point: she didn’t seem interested in what he had to say, and it was only wasted breath. He should have told her some basic, random tips on how to be more productive when studying, or how to focus better in class, or something similar and call it a day.
Nonetheless, he kept ignoring her bitter tone of voice and continued to follow his own train of thoughts while walking, until he felt a sudden pull on his arm.
“What are you doing now?” he uttered, only realising how close the Great Hall was. He didn’t understand the reason behind her pulling, they could have continued to talk while eating, so where was the problem in that? He slowly stopped ignoring what she was trying to tell him from the beginning, there was no point in keeping that act.
“You don’t care even a bit what I have to tell you, do you?” he replied slightly harshly. His tone of voice wasn’t comparable to the one he had that afternoon when he was starting to lose control, that one was a lot less angry and aggressive, but still one could feel he was a bit hurt.
“I simply wanted to help you get some interest in what you are studying, since if you like the subject it’s much easier and quicker to study.” he explained increasing the speed of his words, dropping also the harsh tone. It was almost imperceptible, but there were some traces of disappointment in his words. “Even if you don’t want top marks, you could finish quicker and have more time for... whatever you like to do.” he ended, dismissing everything else.
He could have simply walked away and ended their conversation along with any possible friendship between them, but first he wanted to hear what she had to reply.
✿ Damian Christopher Hills ✿
7 Sep 2023, 16:28
Quick Question
Great, now Renelle felt like a terrible person. That seemed to be happening a lot to her lately, someone approaching the Ravenclaw with perfectly friendly intentions and getting shut down coldly, only after which she would feel remorse for her actions. She really needed to work on that. These were people she would be seeing around for the next seven years, after all.
The slightly harsh yet also rather hurt tone of voice in which the boy was speaking now was making Renelle want to disappear through a hole in the ground: she saw now that his intentions had been pure, yet could not take back her earlier actions.
“Ok, right.” she swallowed. “I’m sorry. Again, I guess.” It was really rather interesting how many times Renelle had apologised to this boy, despite their less than friendly previous interactions. It must be weird to see how quickly her entire attitude and demeanour changed all the time.
“And the… gaining interest thing sounds nice.” Renelle continued, then gestured lightly toward the Great Hall. “Do you wanna.. go to dinner?” Honestly, the girl wasn’t entirely sure if students from different houses could eat dinner together, but she figured that if there was such a rule like that, this boy would definitely know. Which reminded her…
“By the way, what’s your name?”Interacting with @Damian Hills
From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
7 Sep 2023, 23:15
Quick Question
“Quick Question” - 6.30 PM - Interacting with @Renelle Dalton - Outfit:
Reducio
Damian wasn’t actually devastated by the girl’s complete disinterest in what he had to tell her or which tips he had to share: he was disappointed, sure, but after all he could have lived his life even if she decided to pursue the road she was choosing for herself. He was simply giving her another opportunity to redeem herself to Damian’s eyes, and for him that was a huge opportunity.
Having Damian as a friend meant to have free extra lectures every time one didn’t understand something, and also to have access to his precious notes. That, though, wasn’t something he would have given very easily; one had to gain his trust first, and then prove to be respectful towards his notes.
Damian nodded to the renewed apology, not even thinking about apologising back. To be honest, there wasn’t really anything to apologise for this time, so for once he was in the right. He had clearly appreciated the words of the girl, maybe he had thought it was weird for someone to acknowledge their wrongs and start anew, but who knows, maybe it was exactly for that reason that he wasn’t a Ravenclaw.
“It’s okay.” he simply replied, accepting the apology but without adding anything fancy to it. Maybe she was ready to hear what Damian had to say? Before he could start, she took the word. “Um, sure. We can continue talking there.” he replied, a tad unsure if that was some sort of trick or if she was really willing to invite him and hear what he had to say. “Ah, I’m Damian. What about you?” he finally said, moving some steps back in the corridor that was bringing them to the Great Hall and with his mind already full of interesting ideas to make her appreciate more what she was studying.
✿ Damian Christopher Hills ✿