Sticks And Stones With Plenty Thorns Finished

Interactions | @Remy Alto

Raising an eyebrow at the boys' seemingly panicked expression, Dinara wondered if he had perhaps been uncomfortable with the physical contact. Back in her hometown, children never really thought much of gender or of any seeming rivalries between boys and girls. They all simply talked to who they wanted to talk to, did what they wanted to do. (Well, within realms of reason, of course.)

The girl watched as the boy seemed to drift off into some kind of a dreamlike state. Was he okay? Did touching him somehow electrocute him and caused his internal batteries to stop functioning? Dinara was getting more and more sure that her theory of the boy being a highly advanced android was actually true. Maybe she should try spraying him with water one day. Though in the event that he does electrocute and spoil... Would she then get charged with robot-murder? Was robot-murder even a thing?

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she watched the boy who seemed to have become even more subdued than before. Once again wrinkling her nose -- at this point it'd become more of a reaction than a habit, she watched the boy, her laughter now rather subdued herself. Perhaps the joke had been too insensitive? Dinara wasn't aware that he was a vegetarian; she hoped that she didn't truly offend the young boy.

As he wriggled out from her grasp, the warmth flooded back to the tips of the girls' fingers. She watched carefully as the boy took his stance in front of the Lake. He seemed more distracted than before, and the rock hopped 4 times limply before it sunk. Thankfully, there wasn't any returning catapults this time.

Walking over to him, Dinara had expectedly herself to be gloating and celebrating; yet somehow she didn't feel any form of accomplishment whatsoever. Hiding her hands in her robes and scuffing the heel of her shoes, she struggled to think of something to say.

"Uh... I mean, I could teach you how to throw the rocks and stuff if you'd like."

Rubbing her nose, she smiled rather awkwardly at the boy, her shoulders lifted in some sort of a half shrug. Attempting to diffuse the awkwardness, she noted the ever-familiar look on the face and quickly retorted in turn.

"Plus, I want to be the only person who can brag that they've beaten Remy Alto in a rock skipping contest!"

The twinkle returned in her eyes as she smiled, her round eyes upturning to form two crescents. Looking towards the nearby castle, she noted that the journey back would be somewhat of a walk, and her attention snapped to the boy's hands which had felt like two blocks of ice. Unraveling her Hufflepuff scarf, she handed it to the boy.

"Here, we should head back for dinner soon. Your hands are like, ice or something; you can use my scarf. Take it as consolation for losing our little contest."

A small smile played on her lips as she said that. She didn't exactly mean what she said fully; she had genuinely offered her scarf out of concern that the boy would just freeze and stop functioning and that she'd be left to lug a frozen statue back to Hogwards. Besides, she also didn't want to come off as too nice to her competitor. What if he thought she was a pushover? That'd be the absolute worst.

Stance | Offering scarf to Remy
Mood | Neutral, slightly confused at why she's not rejoicing

Interactions | @Remy Alto

The girl watched the boy curiously, her outstretched arm beginning to grow somewhat sore. She wasn't sure what exactly he was doing; the quick-wit that Dinara had grown to be familiar with had seemingly been displaced by something else. Remy seemed... distant, almost. There were periods in which the boy had just seemed to zone out and just live somewhere happily in his own mental bubble.

He wrinkled his nose back at her before accepting the scarf from her outstretched hand, albeit rather reluctantly. Remy had seemed rather confused at what Dinara had said, though that seemed rather silly to the girl -- was there any debate? She had won fair and square, hadn't she!

"Yes, I mean, I did win in the rock skipping contest, didn't I?

The words came through as a matter of fact statement, yet it was not without a hint of pride. She had expected him to continue, but he didn't seem to react much after taking her scarf. Instead, he pointed at himself and tilted his head -- not unlike a lost puppy that didn't know what to make of this world. Dinara could sort of relate, the Wizarding world was indeed a whole new world for her, and she did feel rather overwhelmed and confused at times. The only difference being that this was a completely normal interaction between friends (or even just between two normal human beings) and that even at the tender age of 11, the boy should've been more than able to handle such interactions with ease! Perhaps her theories about him being a robot were right!

Nodding at him, she gestured towards his hand. Remy already had a complexion that was so fair it could prove a worthy rival to the snowy landscapes adorning the mountainscapes, but his hands seemed all the more delicate. Perhaps it was because Dinara had felt for herself how cold his hands had been.

"Yes, the scarf is for you. Well, for your hands; they felt like they were freezing."

The corners of her lips lifted to form a wide grin, though the grin was quickly wiped from her face after the boy had piled his own scarf onto her head. Knitting her eyebrows in confusion, she looked up to him and for the first time, seemed to realize how tall the boy was. He was almost a good 2 heads taller than her, and Dinara marveled at her own bravery when facing him as a competitor. She had supposed that most people would have been intimidated by someone that was physically so much larger than she. The girl hadn't thought to factor in that this was the first time they had been in closer proximity of one another -- the previous few times that they had taken turns to provoke each other were all conducted at a distance. This would've contributed to Dinara's perception that Remy wasn't that much taller than her.

Upon hearing his comment, the young Huffle's eyes widened in surprise, and she started to chew on her bottom lip. Pity? Where did the boy get the idea from? It didn't help that he sounded much sterner than Dinara had heard him speak in their past exchanges. She suddenly felt rather small; it seemed that she had managed to offend the boy twice in a row! Looking up at him from beneath her lashes, she noticed that even his face, which was typically as fair as ivory, was now blotched with patches of pink! He must be really, really cold.

Worried, she took her own mustard yellow scarf that was decorated with black stripes and raised it up to his face, trying her best to reach it. Dinara barely managed to sling the scarf over the boy's shoulder, even while standing on her toes! Trying her best to tuck the scarf about his cheeks, she attempted a few times to have the scarf sit cosily about his face. Whether or not she actually managed to do it properly was a different question, something that Dinara would never know. She then removed the Slytherin scarf from her head, unsure of what to do with it.

"For the record, I'm not doing this out of pity or anything. You just... Well, you just seem cold, and I didn't want you to be cold."

The girl held the scarf in her hands. She didn't want to seem as though she was rejecting the boy's gesture of kindness, but at the same time, Remy obviously needed it much more than Dinara did! Struggling to figure out a logical compromise, eventually, Dinara wordlessly handed half the scarf to the boy, wrapping her small hands snugly in the other half. The lass couldn't think of any other better solution. She supposed that the boy would understand her intentions and that his freezing hands would be more than thankful for her gesture.

Stance | Wrapping hands in half of a Slytherin scarf
Mood | Conflicted, unsure

OOC: Sorry if this was too long! Got a little carried away there x.x

Interactions | @Remy Alto

For his sake? Dancing? Dinara didn't quite understand this oddball. Why would anyone want to willingly suffer humiliation after they'd just lost? It'd make sense if it was for her own sake, but Dinara was pretty sure she had heard him say that she should be celebrating for his sake as well. Perhaps his pride had been hurt -- if the girl had been in Remy's shoes in a similar situation, she'd have reacted quite similar; though she wasn't empathetic enough at this point in time to realize that.

Dinara rubbed her chin thoughtfully, not quite sure what to make of the situation. She may have won the rock-skipping competition, but the boy had hardly reacted in the way that she had expected him to. Not even a jeer, or a challenge to a new competition of some sorts? The script that had proved useful in helping her navigate through the same old reactions that kids back at home (and many others here at Hogwarts, too) often cycled through seemed utterly useless in this situation.

Rolling her eyes at the boy who had claimed that he 'felt quite fine', she nodded; only half-believing his statement. Her own body temperature was perfectly normal! He's the cold one here! The lass had this tendency to take her own experiences as the norm; she didn't stop to consider that people came from all around the world and had various experiences that shape them up to be very different indeed. She didn't stop to dispute Remy at this point, though; the girl was starting to feel a little cold herself.

Hoping that the boy would just stop being stubborn for once and take the half of the scarf which she had offered him, his rejection of her gesture didn't really leave her feeling disappointed or anything. It was normal behaviour that she had unconsciously come to expect from Remy Alto. Dinara called out after the boy indignantly after having been called a loser (Of all things! Oh, the travesty!) and having been shoved. This was a huge double blow to the girl's ego, and she felt it sting.

"Fine! Last one to the castle is a Grindylow!"

Quickly throwing the emerald scarf across her shoulder, Dinara started to bolt towards the castle that was already half shrouded in shadows. Winter has a way of making the nights longer, no matter what Astronomy taught her, Dinara would be convinced that it was the work of some sleepy wizard who simply wanted more sleep for a few more years to come. Her curls bounced as she ran, the familiar surge of adrenaline propelling her past the boy. A wide smile adorned her face, and she let out merry peals of laughter as she ran -- there was nothing the girl enjoyed more than a good run and a fun game. Unconsciously, her brain had already taken in the scent of Remy's scarf. While her own smelt rather sweet as well, it was sweet in a different, warmer way. More like springtime; one would say, though that is very likely attributed to the shampoo that she used. Remy's scarf smelt more like... Confectionery, if you will, and Dinara suddenly felt like devouring the dessert platter for dinner once again, not unlike her first feast here at Hogwarts.

The girl sprinted back to the castle with all her might, the silver-green scarf trailing out from behind her as her nimble body sliced through the wind. Once she'd reached back, the girl would've completely forgotten that the scarf wasn't her own, and happily head back to her own common room where she'd be teased by her fellow Housemates.

She supposed it was only good courtesy to make sure that the scarf was properly cared for before returning it to the rightful owner.

Scene | Dinara Exits.
Takeaways | A new... Rival? Friend? Dinara wasn't sure what to make of this boy. Oh, and his scarf, too.

OOC: We can start a new thread! Remy and Dinara both need their scarf back, afterall! Let me know if you'd prefer for me to start one, or if you'd like to start one.