Closed Having a bad day? Why not explore a bit? PV: Archer Duncan

A disaster, to say the least.

Archer Theodore Duncan had not experienced such an absolute disaster. At such a word, Archer would normally brush it off as an exaggeration, a spilt ink pot or a ripped piece of parchment. However, the events of the past Defence Against the Dark Arts class had been nothing but catastrophic for the young lad, much taken aback by Matthew Campbell's sharp words, which still prodded at his heart. Perhaps it was because he was not yet adept at interaction with others in any field outside of academia, much less at taking insults.

As soon as Defence Against the Dark Arts ended, the Scottish pureblood had taken his leave from the classroom as soon as possible. He had almost tripped and twisted his ankle on the way downstairs, cursing the unpredictable movements of the staircase, which seemed to have an everlasting patience, even when Archer did not, changing each and every time he had an immediate desire to use them. At first, it had been a curiosity and interest, but the practical issues soon presented themselves, and the existence of a moving staircase became an issue all too quickly. As soon as the heels of his shoes hit the ground floor hard, for he had jumped the final few steps. It was a relief that the lesson was over, and very briefly, Archer lingered in front of the four grand tables he had so often sat at alone, before quickly realising that there was none of the usual hunger that struck him before lunch. He saw a few familiar figures sat in conversation, food piled in front of them, but he wheeled on his heels instead, not bothering for conversation. He had had enough of that for the day already. Further down though, the Great Hall led outside towards the grounds, towards an escape, if temporary. Archer looked back once, swiftly, his dark hazel eyes flitting over the menagerie of students, before turning his head back towards straight forward, and ran, with little direction except outside, his boots thumping on the marble floor.

One of the many things Papa was right about was how the grounds were one of the highlights of Hogwarts. To the North, a windswept grassy expense lies under misty snowcapped peaks. To the South, the Great Lake shimmers with hidden secrets of her giant squid. To the West, players fly over the oft-occupied Quidditch Pitch. To the East, shadows lengthen near the Forbidden Forest. By all means, it reminded Archer of home, and the vase expanse of the Duncan estate, which had, much to Archer's pleasing, directly led into the Scottish mountains. Sighing as he breathed in the fresh air, uncontaminated by the heat of the shared breaths of all other Hogwarts students, sat in a suffocating classroom, the whisper of hushed conversation heard under the professor's lecture. As Archer weaved through the narrow paths meandering through the forest, dark as storm clouds started to roll in from the North, but Archer did not bother to be discouraged because of the soon approaching rain. Rather, it just messaged for him to hasten. Or perhaps he would just allow the droplets to smatter down on him and wash all his worries away. For a wet uniform, it seemed like a fair enough trade to the Scot.

Plucking an apple - or at least what Archer hoped was an apple - from a tree nearby, Archer's fingernails dug into it, forming two pairs of crescent moons, before he took a bite. The sourness hit his tastebuds hard, but the taste was a welcome distraction from certain emotions. The juice still spilt out with each crunch though, slowly seeping down Archer's throat as the wind, sending the humidity of the lake and the slowly yellowing leaves of the tree up into the surprisingly chilly September air. Ignoring the steadily increasing amount of people, Archer sat down on the ground, ignoring the moistness in the grass, watching out towards the Great Lake, perhaps waiting for the Giant Squid, perhaps pondering his life at Hogwarts, perhaps thinking nothing at all and letting his mind go pleasantly blank, a feeling he had experienced all too little. Taking another bite into the apple, Archer felt his heart thump less loudly, his head throb less painfully, even so, no one would mistake him for joyous in any way. As the wind picked up her pace, Archer felt what might have been tears try to come to his eyes once more, perhaps from the events of the morning, or simply from the intensity of the draft. Quickly drying them, he stood up cautiously as the sound of another pair of boots crunched behind him.

'Hey!' Archer whirled at that, nearly dropping his perfectly good apple onto the ground. In front of him stood a girl, shorter than him, a friendly smile drawn across her features. Archer's shoulders visibly relaxed, and he gave himself some time to look over the girl, who was a Slytherin, like him, and might have been someone he had seen around the common room before. Dark brown hair fell to her shoulders, tousled from the wind, accompanied by a pair of hazel eyes not akin to that of Archer's. The similarities they shared in appearances slightly took Archer aback, so much so she simply felt like a feminised version of the boy. Still, that did not show on his face, only a polite smile in return to hers and no words spoken. 'I couldn't help but notice that you looked a tad upset. And I wanted to see if I could cheer you up,' she continued, as another smile graced her lips once more.

Archer could not help but smile back at that, one that stretched to his ears this time. A brief silence hung in the air as Archer realised the girl might have sought for a response at that. Merlin. At least she had better intentions than a certain Matthew Campbell. Archer paused, searching for something to say as he debated whether to turn down her offer or not. 'You have a very keen eye,' he said finally, drawing in breath with his speech, his eyes finding themselves to hers and connecting, their eyes reflecting the flecks of olive and gold set into the brown base of their irises. His response was one that even Archer himself would have found annoyingly neutral and unrevealing. It was a skill he himself was unsure where he had learnt. Certainly, Maman nor Papa had taught her how to purposefully conceal his emotions. Perhaps it was a talent he picked up from the pureblood gatherings and balls he had attended, or perhaps the mere less than a month at Hogwarts had already started to wear at him.

His thoughts were disrupted, though, as the girl continued to speak. One other factor that surprised him about Hogwarts students was their eagerness to converse with strangers. Normally, the purebloods heirs and heiresses he had met spoke in a far too clipped tone, and Archer had always just been too shy and sensitive to express to much of his opinions, especially those unrelated to academics. Although, Matthew had seemed to dislike him more because of his lack of speech. That was why humans were not the best species to work with. Dogs were. Scout was. 'You know, take your mind of things. Perhaps we could explore the grounds a bit? I know that cheers me up,' she had said, the side of her lip twisting up in a mischievous smirk at the mention of exploration. That, exactly that: exploration, was what Maman, and in turn, Archer, had always loved, no doubts. She was right, it was exactly what took Archer's mind off things. Perhaps they share much more in similar than just appearance.

'Very kind of you to propose that. Of course, exploring would be lovely,' he said, another smile lighting up his face. The pure existence of the girl seemed to be cure enough to his troubles. 'You wouldn't mind if I finish this apple as we do so, I hope? I'm afraid it might oxidase otherwise.' Archer said, gesturing vaguely to the half-eaten fruit still clutched in his left hand, which edges would soon start to turn yellowish. It was a scientific phenomenon that not even magic, at least not any Archer could perform, could control. And so there the two of them stood, with Archer waiting for the girl to begin the adventure, as one might say, not realising the faux pas that hung over both their heads. Suddenly and perhaps far later than appropriate, it occurred to Archer that it was best that the two of them introduce themselves. 'Archer Theodore Duncan,' he started, then extended his right hand - or the one no juice from the apple had possibly got on - for the fellow Slytherin to shake, 'Pleased to make your acquaintance.'

The day was already starting to turn for the better, and the adventure hadn't even started yet.

@Quinn Root

Note: I apologise XD, didn't mean to make it this long. Also, would be absolutely lovely if it started to drizzle in the middle of our explorations.

WC = 315

#648e55

Outfit Reducio School robes, and some black boots. Her hair is her natural color and length

Interacting = @Archer Duncan @= Mentioning

OOC note Reducio No need to worry about long posts! And I totally agree, some rain would be really fun! (I have the perfect spell for that XD)

Regaining his composure after being scared, Archer noticed the girl, Quinn Root, at he would later learn, look away at his insipid remark. ‘It was nothing really,’ she said with an awkward laugh. Archer simply smiled politely at that and said nothing more. He might have jested at that, said “Not my most charming response, I know”. It was something Maman would have said. He was not Maman, though, after all, very much lacking of her humour and charm, and he had only known this girl for less than a minute. Then again, he wasn’t in the mood for jesting either, not today, after the incident with Matthew Campbell had just occurred. For once, Arianna Swann’s witty language had not seemed entertaining at the least.

At Archer’s acceptance to her offer of adventure, her face lit up, almost not unlike the sudden turning on of a lamp in an otherwise darkened room. ‘I don’t mind at all,’ the girl had replied regarding his question on his apple. ‘In fact, I hope you enjoy it as much as you can. An apple a day keeps the healers away after all.’ She laughed once more, shaking her head ever so slightly. Archer was not entirely sure what to make of the gesture. He had never been one for reading people, novels, poetry, the news, a map, gladly so, but there was no one waiting for you to analyse every layer of one human gesture. With any other thing, one could stay up late, read and reread until every unprecedented mystery presented a clear and resolute solution. He simply offered a small nod at that.

The girl’s handshake was with far more vigour than he had expected, incredibly enthusiastic and ardent. ‘Nice to meet you too, Archer Theodore Duncan.’ The Scottish wizard often included his full name in introductions, although he did not expect to be called such in day-to-day conversation. Of course, nicknames, unless from his parents, often seemed worse, patronising even, especially Archie. Letting it slide, the brunette introduced herself as Quinn Root, before letting go of Archer’s hand in a much softer way than she had took it. Her gaze drifted towards the distance, landing on different patches of the terrain before them, letting out a small hum of thought. Her face was one of concentration as she inquired, ‘What would you like to explore? I’m really down to do anything.’

Archer paused to think on this, and due to his unfamiliarity of the Hogwarts grounds, was unable to offer much of a response. ‘In my opinion, having a set destination for exploration counters the point of adventure,’ he said finally and thoughtfully, ‘Personally, I have not set foot on these grounds as often as I would like, but I do hope you have certain expertise on this matter. Based on your experience, which direction is-’ Archer paused as tiny droplets, barely noticeable, plopped onto his hair. The rain had come. ‘-most appropriate,’ he finished. Looking around him as the plops grew into a drizzle, Archer spread out his arms, feeling the rain on the sleeves of his robe and a much-delayed sense of freedom for the first time at Hogwarts. Part of him wanted to scream out loud, or sing one of Maman’s favourite songs.

‘Isn’t Scotland absolutely beautiful under the rain?’

@Quinn Root