Broken Glass Mirrors PV | R. Bane

Rowan still somehow found a way to make his dreaded wheelchair quiet. Even over broken glass. Well, no, thats a lie. Kinda. The wheelchair was quiet. Just the glass crunching under his wheels wasn’t.

He usually came here when people were staring at him too much and he just needed to breathe in between classes. He never had time to go up to his dorm and back. And too many people in between there. However when he found someone already there, he was highly displeased. Annoyed, in other words.

And the fact that they were probably planning a crime too, made him even more so. Shoving glass into their pockets. Only when she turned around- probably at the crunching of the material- did he realise he recognised the girl.

Which made him even more annoyed. Luckily he still had the skill of hiding his emotions down. Which may make this whole process easier.

She had just turned off the faucet- cleaning cuts on her hands. The glass. The scene was easy to piece together. She didn’t plan to do it in the first place. Pick up the glass. Otherwise she would have brought something to protect her hands with probably. But who knows. She was a child. Children can be quite idiotic. He knew it from personal experience. 

He knew he had bandages in his satchel that was hanging over the back of his chair. He could help her. If she would allow it. Which she probably wouldn’t, however he would offer. The cuts didn’t look to serious, so he wouldn’t bother insisting if she refused.  

“I would suggest bringing gloves next time. Or at least wrapping your shirt around your hand. Do you need bandages for those cuts?”

“I would suggest bringing gloves next time. Or at least wrapping your shirt around your hand. Do you need bandages for those cuts?”

Her head whipped up to glance at the intruder. She had heard the crunching of glass, but she had just thought that it was her own shoes stepping upon it. Instead, as she sized him up, she realised that she easily recognised the boy. Koko didn't really like being reprimanded, as no one did, but she wasn't sure whether or not she should accept his help. Her shirt... She didn't want that to be bloodstained; though it might trick someone into trying to help her... However, the cuts weren't serious enough to fake it.

All thoughts of mischief had left her mind as she realised that she'd been entirely reckless. She felt so, so stupid. "...Maybe? They really aren't bleeding very much, nor are they very painful," she said in reference to the cuts after moments of hesitation. Koko would usually deny help, but that was if the person was a stranger... "Correct me if I'm wrong, but your name is Rowan?"

At least, the child thought so. She couldn't always remember, but her memory was beginning to get better, with names if anything. Backing away from the wheelchair-bound Gryffindor, Koko's shoulder blades touched the wall. She couldn't give him any room to get where he was going. "I don't even know what I'm doing here anymore. I was intending to help one of my Slytherin friends with a prank, but I've realised that glass isn't really going to prank anyone. Perhaps the water would work," she mused aloud.

She had never been one for mischief; she'd never had the chance. It was always the thrill of something new, something dangerous, that was what swayed her. In contrast to the events of the past week, she could actually be a goody-two-shoes at times. Times meaning most of the time. "So, you got a wheelchair," Koko observed, pointing out the obvious. She hadn't seen the other child in some time, so this development was actually a surprise even though she had heard the rumours. "How do you like it?" Yes, small talk was apparently the way to go.

Dear oh dear. This was going to be a long day. 

“Rowan is in fact my name.”

He glanced over her hands as he talked. The cuts were minor, and she had rinsed them out correctly, so there was really no need to bandage them, as they would scab up correctly.

“I never saw the appeal in pranks. Hand to hand combat maybe, I used to do that, but not pranks. Maybe that’s just because I’m too much of a rule follower, though. Water would be less harmful than glass as well.” 

He sneered slightly when she mentioned the Bane of his existence. (Hah.) The wheelchair definitely was not his favourite, and that was an understatement. The hype around his condition had died down a little around hogwarts, though he still had to deal with questions every once and awhile. At home however, and in St Mungos, he was a controversy. His father hated having a broken child, and Mungos hated having an example of their poor work living. Hated having his father biting at their heels too. 

“I wouldn’t say I like it whatsoever, actually. It’s both an inconvenience and a point of weakness, so I find I hate it.”

"My name is in fact Rowan."

At least she had gotten something right. Well, the moment of adrenaline was certainly gone now. Koko's feet moved, seemingly of their own accord, back and forth. She was pacing. Not that she was nervous, for she wasn't, but she just wanted to move. In fact, she was leaning towards getting the hell out of here, and instead going to the Rehearsal Room where she could take out any extra energy on an instrument, likely a piano.

Her hands didn't hurt. Sure, they were going to sting a little, but there wasn't much pain. The cuts tickled a bit, mostly because that was what papercuts felt like to Koko, and this was like getting a million papercuts. Something she envied others for was their calmness, their stillness; that was something of which she lacked. Patience was there as well, and the girl knew that she had to keep practicing whenever someone got on her nerves. It really wasn't relevant to standing awkwardly in the Abandoned Toilets, though.

Awkward. That was a word that could be used to describe many things. It could be used to describe Koko's personality, but not her outer persona. Whatever was outside of a person would often lie, she'd found that from being caught in so many terrible situations. "Ah. I'm not really one for hand-to-hand combat. I-I don't enjoy too much physical activity. I prefer to battle with secrets or words." It was very unlike herself to tell someone something about the way she fought, but she had a hunch that she wouldn't have to fight with a calmer person such as this.

She would note a negative expression from the other child, Rowan, as she dropped a mention of the wheelchair. So he doesn't like that... Apparently he hated the damn thing. "It could be seen as that, I suppose." She said no more for the time being--there was no more for her to say. Koko kept her lips in a sealed, but not firm, line. She didn't want to change the neutral mood in the room, but at the same time she wanted it to be leaning towards something more positive--she already had one too many enemies.

Hmm.... How could she learn more about the individual stan sitting in front of her without seeming like a creep? She could worry all she wanted, try all she could, yet she probably wouldn't say much. It would be best just to get anything she wanted to say out there.

But to get to know Rowan... She wasn't certain of what to ask. "Well, then. A little about myself, I suppose. Uh... I enjoy the taste of chocolate? What's your favourite sweet?"

“True. Verbal battles are much more entertaining, though less straightforward at times. And quite long. I prefer to be consise, and where I lack magical talent, I fill in with physical. Though I do not do it often, anymore.”

It was quite annoying that he couldn’t train anymore. He used his legs to fight the most actually. Kicking and Ducking... eh... it didn’t happen anymore. He knew how to throw a solid punch, and how to use a bow staff, however he couldn’t use it anymore. He was forced into verbal battles, you could say, as he didn’t have another way out. 

Rowan worked out with his upper body more now, in order to make up for the lost exercise outlet. Pull ups. Push ups. Weight lifting. Things like that. Though they weren’t as enjoyable. 

“Caramels, when I do have sweets. I don’t eat more than I have to most often though.”

That was one of the other problems... he didn’t really eat. Not just sweets. Just... in general. Which probably caused alot of problems, but... eh... he wasn’t going to do anything to change that, and he knew that. Which was why he was still a stick with all of the exercise he did. 

So the boy liked caramels. Caramels were fine, she would suppose, but the only time Koko brought up caramel was when someone asked her what the colour of her hair was. "Well, as I said, I myself prefer chocolates. I haven't eaten sweets in a while though." As Rowan had said, concise. That was actually very succinct for the little Slytherin; she could talk for hours and still have no present lack of energy.

So apparently Rowan did not have sweets often. That was a shame--well, no it wasn't. It would prevent him from getting fat... But Koko herself was very skinny, and she would indulge in chocolate every once in a while.

Her eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign that there might be anyone else, and she finally rinsed off her hands more. She could pray all she wished that there was no mold in the water, but with bathrooms in this shape, it was pretty likely. "I met you on a cold winter evening, we shared a dinner with another Slytherin, Min-seo, and then we all departed ways. Or at least I did. How has life been for you since then?" Small talk would have to make do until the awkwardness of the situation wore off. Koko forced a small half-smile before turning to face Rowan once more, her hands clasped in front of her.