1 Oct 2024, 22:56
The Pink Lady
š I N N E G A Nxš O N N O R
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Perhaps he would have put less stock in Rebecca's analysis if he knew it hadn't come from her but Evelynn. Luckily for Astra however, he was unaware and as such trusted that Rebecca was right, that Astra was not to blame.
"I'm certain she's a first-year. I bandaged her ribs in case they were broken, and her leg was definitely broken so I was able to use Ferula to help it, since she didn't want Nurse Sabo,"
Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she had actually helped as she claimed. She still gave off weird vibes though. Just looking at the red-head made his stomach churn.
His eyes flicked over to the small Gryffindor girl who had been tailing Aamon. She looked worried yet managed the courage to speak up, despite looking like she was way in over her head.
"She is a first year, I saw her briefly right before the Sorting Ceremony, she didn't want Nurse Sabo because you were about to run off with him (...) She's adamant she doesn't want to go to the hospital wing, I'm not exactly why though"
She @Meiyu Xiang was being far more helpful than she could possibly know, answering questions before they had even been asked. If he hadn't been on a mission to win Aamon's trust, he might've pried and prodded a bit more to see what else the first-year Gryffindor knew. For now, he just gave her a quick, approving nod. Maybe he ought to pull her aside when all this was over, fill her in on all that was going on. Aamon's lost hand, the weight the Athanatos name carried and its frequent association with incidents. He was not going to make the same mistake Evelynn had made, thinking she could protect others by keeping them in the dark. Would he scare her? She would be right to be scared, even if she was a Gryffindor. But it would be better for her to know the danger she was in, it was the least he could do to help a fellow Gryffindor.
Not now, not here, he told himself. Later, when he could sit her down and make sure her head wouldn't explode from learning just how deep the rabbit hole went.
"She tended to an injury of mine, our exposure to the nurse reinforced a punitive perspective."
His gaze returned to Aamon whose exerted face now expressed a measure of calm. It took him a hot minute to decipher what the boy had just said, but when he'd made the translation in his head, a few more pieces of the puzzle snapped into place. In silence he agreed with them. The nurse might be excellent at healing, but he wasn't particularly keen to be on the receiving end of another outburst either. Better to keep her in the dark. Better to stay in her good graces. With all those Quidditch games coming up, he fully expected to be spending time in her care again.
"Heh, yeah... I am a bit shaken up, I'm just glad she was so nearby."
Finn gave a curt nod, yet wondered who or what connected Aamon to Winnie. Harper was difficult to miss and could at times be a somewhat overwhelming presence in conversation, so it stood to reason she had introduced herself to the latest batch of first years. Maybe Aamon had simple gone straight toward the oldest person he knew. But then, why would he know about her birthday? Finn only knew because he'd heeded Winnie's own, stalkery advice and done a bit of digging.
"Thank Merlin you're well prepared, Finn. I guess heroes often are."
Compliments were always hard to take, especially when they came from someone you fancied. Instead of muttering a stammered thanks, he had the agility of mind to deflect. "I've hardly done anything, the real hero is Aamon, getting Avis up here must not have been easy. He's the real man of the hour." He elbowed Aamon playfully at that. It was still uncanny how Aamon was almost the same height as him despite being quite a bit younger.
"Here; take this. Can you tie my hair up for me? I've got my hands full."
He was about to get started on the job handed to him when a very strong smell pulled his focus away. What was that smell? It was pine and rum and a seaside smelled, all mixed up into a horrible, chemical conconction. Then he heard footsteps approaching, and an unfamiliar voice entered the room.
"Hey babe."
Finn turned his head toward the source of that mumbling, drawling voice. It was the boy from the stairway, the one with the schnitzels. Apparently they were not a transfiguration experiment, considering he was - rather loudly - eating them, there was even a little grease on his lips.
It didn't take long for Finnegan to realize who the boy was. The Asshole of the Century, had finally come crawling out of the woodwork. The boy wasn't oblivious to his surroundings, he step over Avis after all, but his arrogance and, well, Pride, was on full display. It was hard not to gag.
"That's great, Mattie"
He snorted the minute Winnie confirmed his suspicions. "You're Matt?" He looked the fifth-year up and down, barely able to surpress a snigger. Did Winnie really just say he looked handsome? All Finnegan saw was a pale, average boy, with awful manners. Even when he kept his mouth shut, which he didn't seem very inclined to do, the boy's manner of dressing did all the bragging for him. He glanced at Aamon, silently wondering if the first-year was just as shocked and disgusted by the appearance that called itself Mathias Pride.
Struggling to stifle his sniggering, he looked down at his hand to see what it was that Winnie had handed him.
A scrunchie?
This time he had a more difficult time to stop himself from blushing, even though he was keenly aware how inappropriate it must seem, considering the pain Avis was still in. By all rights, everyone's attention ought to be on the Ravenclaw girl, but how could he mind her when Winnie had just claimed him?
That was what it meant, right? When a girl gave a boy a scrunchie to wear on their wrist, it meant they were claimed. Everyone knew that. Why on earth Winnie had picked this moment to announce to the world that they were together now eluded him, but in a thirteen-year-old's brain, any sense of reason was all too easily blown away by the promise of love. Feeling a swell of pride in his chest, he put the scrunchie on his wrist and couldn't quite resist to smirk at Mathias while he came up to Winnie's side.
Adding insult to injury, he quite deliberately positioned himself Winnie and Mathias. The disgusting teenager would have fight his way past just a little over 5 feet of Gryffindor before he could get his greasy paws on Winnie for their 'make out' session.
"So, when youāre done with them, maybe we can find a classroom to make-out? I got class in an hour, so it'll be briefer than usual"
How thick was he? "It's been cancelled you moron," he said, waving his scrunchied wrist at the boy. Surely he wasn't so moronic as to not know what that meant. But then again, it looked like Mathias had no idea it was Winnie's birthday. It was so over for him now. "It's her birthday and you should know better. Why don't you run off to get murtlap essence? Make yourself useful."
At long last, Finnegan began to pull Winnie's hair to the side. His first act as new boyfriend would have to be to politely tell her that she needed a haircut, but for now that could wait. He had a complete idiot and a Athanatos to deal with first. "Happy birthday," he whispered for only Winnie to hear.
interacting: @Meiyu Xiang, @Matthias Pride, @Winnie Harper
mentioned: @Astra Norrick, @Rebecca Lark, @Evelynn Decipio, @Dusana Sabo
OOC note: just in case it went over anyone's head: when a boy is given a scrunchie by a girl this is commonly understood to mean that said girl has claimed the boy or is in a relationship with that boy. Is this still the case today? idk, it was it too good a chance for a misunderstanding to pass up.
Last edited by Finnegan Connor on 11 Dec 2024, 23:44, edited 1 time in total.
"He's a dweeby chocolate bar lip smacking nerd" - Evelynn Decipio
1 Oct 2024, 23:45
The Pink Lady
"I'm certain she's a first-year. I bandaged her ribs in case they were broken, and her leg was definitely broken so I was able to use Ferula to help it, since she didn't want Nurse Sabo,"
"She is a first year, I saw her briefly right before the Sorting Ceremony, she didn't want Nurse Sabo because you were about to run off with him."
Yeah, she was a first year and yeah she didn't want Nurse Sabo, but Avis thought the point might have gotten across with only one of them. Were really both necessary?
The pink lady cast a spell. Warmth seemed to pull itself into her leg, and a sharp pain echoed through it, but her leg straightened itself. That was nice. The pink lady then applied some paste that the boy from the hospital ward had handed her. That helped too. The pain was finally fading, hopefully for good, and she finally really paid attention to her surroundings as another boy stepped into the room, and straight over her. He seemed to have eyes only for the pink lady, as well as whatever nasty thing he was holding. Did not notice her, or anyone else for that matter? Was he really such an idiot?
The boy from the hospital wing seemed to agree. "It's her birthday and you should know better. Why don't you run off to get murtlap essence? Make yourself useful." That was pretty harsh, but then again, the idiot didn't seem like there was much he could add to the conversation. Or really any conversation.
It was her birthday? Was that how Aamon knew where she was? Had she been at her birthday party? It was a pretty small one, Avis had to admit, but then again, she had brought the party. There were how many people here now? Seven? Avis groaned out loud. This was a terrible cornering job. How on earth was she meant to get any answers now? Or was that Aamon's plan, getting her with a whole bunch of people so she couldn't ask anything? It was very frustrating, whatever it meant.
"Can you follow the light with your eyes?" Yes. Of course, she could. She wasn't blind. But as she did, it seemed just a little bit harder than usual. The pink lady was sweeter than Avis was expecting. And if the idiot was her boyfriend--presumably if they were going to make out he was--then she was either very naive or very forgiving. But the girl, Avis liked her, and she didn't really know why. She just seemed like summer in the middle of this dark castle. Unlike the scary girl.
The scary girl was still there. Why was Avis so freaked out? It wasn't like there was anything about the girl, she looked perfectly normal. Something just felt wrong. But now was not the time for that. No one else seemed to be bothered by that.
Best get on with whatever she had missed while in pain.
She nodded to the boy from the hospital. "Hello. You are apparently much better in a crisis than I am." That was true. Who just walks around with bruise remover? The nod hurt though. She regretted that. The pain was better, but not that much better. Aamon is pretending he wasn't in the medical ward, she wanted to tell him, but she didn't. After all, whoever Aamon was hiding that from was still in the room.
She looked at the pink lady. "Happy birthday. Sorry, we crashed your party."
The idiot didn't deserve a comment, she just looked right past him.
And back to Aamon. "A SEER? Really? And you just let someone push me down the stairs?
"She is a first year, I saw her briefly right before the Sorting Ceremony, she didn't want Nurse Sabo because you were about to run off with him."
Yeah, she was a first year and yeah she didn't want Nurse Sabo, but Avis thought the point might have gotten across with only one of them. Were really both necessary?
The pink lady cast a spell. Warmth seemed to pull itself into her leg, and a sharp pain echoed through it, but her leg straightened itself. That was nice. The pink lady then applied some paste that the boy from the hospital ward had handed her. That helped too. The pain was finally fading, hopefully for good, and she finally really paid attention to her surroundings as another boy stepped into the room, and straight over her. He seemed to have eyes only for the pink lady, as well as whatever nasty thing he was holding. Did not notice her, or anyone else for that matter? Was he really such an idiot?
The boy from the hospital wing seemed to agree. "It's her birthday and you should know better. Why don't you run off to get murtlap essence? Make yourself useful." That was pretty harsh, but then again, the idiot didn't seem like there was much he could add to the conversation. Or really any conversation.
It was her birthday? Was that how Aamon knew where she was? Had she been at her birthday party? It was a pretty small one, Avis had to admit, but then again, she had brought the party. There were how many people here now? Seven? Avis groaned out loud. This was a terrible cornering job. How on earth was she meant to get any answers now? Or was that Aamon's plan, getting her with a whole bunch of people so she couldn't ask anything? It was very frustrating, whatever it meant.
"Can you follow the light with your eyes?" Yes. Of course, she could. She wasn't blind. But as she did, it seemed just a little bit harder than usual. The pink lady was sweeter than Avis was expecting. And if the idiot was her boyfriend--presumably if they were going to make out he was--then she was either very naive or very forgiving. But the girl, Avis liked her, and she didn't really know why. She just seemed like summer in the middle of this dark castle. Unlike the scary girl.
The scary girl was still there. Why was Avis so freaked out? It wasn't like there was anything about the girl, she looked perfectly normal. Something just felt wrong. But now was not the time for that. No one else seemed to be bothered by that.
Best get on with whatever she had missed while in pain.
She nodded to the boy from the hospital. "Hello. You are apparently much better in a crisis than I am." That was true. Who just walks around with bruise remover? The nod hurt though. She regretted that. The pain was better, but not that much better. Aamon is pretending he wasn't in the medical ward, she wanted to tell him, but she didn't. After all, whoever Aamon was hiding that from was still in the room.
She looked at the pink lady. "Happy birthday. Sorry, we crashed your party."
The idiot didn't deserve a comment, she just looked right past him.
And back to Aamon. "A SEER? Really? And you just let someone push me down the stairs?
Last edited by Avis Marlong on 2 Oct 2024, 21:01, edited 3 times in total.
Avis Marlong | āShe won't cry or beg for help...she'll isolate from the world and fight her own demons so that nobody can throw it in her face later.ā |
"The odds of hitting your target increase dramatically when you aim at it." Benji Marecos |
2 Oct 2024, 04:56
The Pink Lady
Astra felt like an outside observer of it all. Finn and Aamon supported Avis while Winnie knelt to examine her, and Meiyu seemed intent on interrupting Astra wherever she could and generally being unhelpful, as she had since she entered the picture, Astra realized. The girl's words didn't make any sense, Astra was never going to run off from the scene while someone was in potentially lethal danger. "What do you mean?" she asked. Her expression danced on the edge of judgemental. "I was attempting to heal her to the best of my ability until we could find someone who actually knows what they're doing." No thanks to you.@Aamon Athanatos ā @Winnie Harper ā @Finnegan Connor ā @Avis Marlong ā @Meiyu Xiang
Astra personally hadn't interacted with Nurse Sabo much, briefly during It, and yes she did seem a hard pill to swallow, but her bedside manner was not unlike Grandpa Rodney's in the less serious situation Astra found herself in, that of shock and not of an impromptu amputation. Stern and gruff, but effective. Or maybe they were soft and she a little tougher.
It was Winnie's birthday? Astra's frustration with the first year Gryffindor grew, and she shot a withering glance her way briefly before turning her attention back to Winnie. "Do you need me to get anything for you? A potion, a... something else?" Potions were the only other healing equipment she could think of at the moment. Professor Clairmont? Perhaps one of the only adults to demonstrate their trustworthiness to Astra thus far.
Winnie explained that Ferula was only good for bleeding. "Doesn't it mean splint, though? It created a splint," she muttered to herself. The thought was shelved for further research. Obviously Episkey was the superior healing spell, Astra wondered why they didn't learn it sooner with all the harm that befell them as students, and now was not the time to question the logistics of a spell she technically wasn't supposed to learn till next year anyway.
Enter Mathias Pride. He was just as strange and deplorable as when she met him the first time. And egad, the smell of schnitzel mixed with about three different colognes was about to make her keel over and die.
At least Finnegan's response to him was entertaining. Though he seemed to believe Winnie passing over her scrunchie so that he could put up her hair meant something? Astra couldn't fathom any reason-
Ah. Year 5. Charlotte gave her scrunchie to Dylan and they held hands at recess and in the halls. It was a declaration of love.
Astra had a new unfathomable to ponder, why in the world Winnie would let Mathias continue under the delusion that he and she were together still, or even how the scrunchie proposal would work if Finn was only getting it to put up her hair for her. But these would have to be shelved away for later as Avis responded to Winnie's Lumos with signs of head trauma. "Concussed?" Astra asked aloud. "Is there a spell to fix that?"
Mathias rambled about a make-out ans Winnie got mad and Finn did too, but Astra kept her attention on Avis. "I hate to burst your bubble, but eleven year old seers don't exist," she said. A disapproving look to the "seer" in question. "So none of us could've known you'd get pushed down the stairs. If that makes you feel any better. Which I'm sure it doesn't."
Astra has Terrible Presence. It is in effect.
Finn: I'm pretty sure that's still a thing, you're not decrepit yet
2 Oct 2024, 20:29
The Pink Lady
Meiyu scoffed at the Slytherin girl, she sure had selective memory, in her humble opinion. She felt as though Astra had a peculiar attachment to Aamon, he was a first year, just like her, just like Avis. If Astra felt as though the rest of the trio were mere children, why was she adamant on protecting the boy? Granted, he was unwell when Meiyu stumbled upon him during their initial encounter, but the girl could be more than a year older than them, so what was with the superiority complex? Huffing her cheeks in annoyance, Meiyu mumbled "Surely, there was more you could have done, rather than expect a first year to know their way around the castle and find someone."Interacting with: @Avis Marlong @Astra Norrick @Aamon Athanatos@Winnie Harper@Finnegan Connor
Truthfully, Meiyu was surprised with herself. If her Grandmother heard the tone she'd just spoken in, she would of received some form of punishment, but her anger was evident. Astra seemed a little too-egotistical, Slytherin traits aside, perhaps there was more to her. She was vastly different in comparison to the lady in pink, who'd she quickly learnt was named Willow. Willow had shown nothing but greater care towards Avis, even Meiyu's fellow housemate seemed to have some type of decency and sense of care.
Meiyu was thankful for Aamon, despite the entire situation being escalated due to an incident involving him earlier - something she still was confused about. He quickly overcame his own struggles to help someone in need, contrary to his housemate.
"Her wounds aren't too bad. I should be able to fix them up. Luckily none of them need a potion." Meiyu sighed in relief, despite not knowing Avis too well, she was relieved to know something had been done to help, that someone was able to help her, without seeking Nurse Sabo, who she had protested against seeing. She had also made a mental note of her own fellow housemate, she'd have to speak to him about the entire ordeal at a later point, when they could be alone without prying eyes.
For now, Meiyu's concern was with Avis and potentially Aamon, who seemed to be doing better, yet she questioned if he really was, was it a fight or flight situation, in which he had chosen to prioritise the young Ravenclaw girl. Yet for now, she inched away from Avis, knowing she was in safer hands and doing a lot better, she smiled gently, turning back to Willow. "Thank you for your help, I didn't know who to look for or what to do, but I'm glad somebody did," She had began with the utmost sincerity, before turning to Finnegan, "and thank you too, had you not been prepared this could have been a lot worse." The poor girl felt as though she was mumbling for too long, the traumatic situation only know taking its toll on her.
2 Oct 2024, 22:31
The Pink Lady
Aamon stood in the corner of the room, trying to make himself as small as possible, his nerves thrumming under his skin even if his carriage and expression bore a more relaxed burden. His half-brotherāor maybe it was more like a cousin, given their tangled family treeāstrode into the classroom like he owned it, all swagger and no self-awareness. His half-brother Mathias stepped right over Avis' crumpled form on the floor without so much as a second glance, his mind clearly elsewhere. Aamon couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration. How could someone be so oblivious? He knew the answer, but he felt embarrassed by the older Slytherin.
He locked eyes with Pride, but said nothing to himā Aamon just stared a little too long, like he was trying to figure out if Mathias was supposed to care. Mathias didn't, of course. Mathias Pride didnāt do emotional attachment. Aamon sighed quietly to himself, recalling the unspoken rule between them: never acknowledge their shared bloodline. Mathias had once called him an "annoyingāsomething or other" and made it clear they werenāt supposed to be connected in public unless a journalist made the unfortunate connection. Thankfully most of Mathias' friends probably did not read.
Across the room, Meiyu and Astra were bickering in that way that only girls couldāsharp words wrapped in faux politeness. Aamon didnāt understand why they clashed, though it seemed like Astra just expected everyone to fall in line with her unpleasant demeanor. The moment she'd arrived, she tried to shoo the rest of them away, insisting on being alone with the vulnerable girl who clearly didnāt want to be in her presence. Aamon disagreed with Meiyuās decision to engage with Astra, but he wasnāt about to get involved. It wasnāt his fight.
His eyes flicked to the "Pink Lady," or "his woman" as Mathias sometimes called her, though she wasnāt nearly as bad as his brother had made her out to be. Mathias often referred to her shrill voice and unreasonable demands for affection, but he spoke surprisingly well of her Quidditch skills and even her "brute strength," though Aamon had always wondered if that was meant as a backhanded compliment. She seemed more approachable than Mathias ever let on, and in this moment, Aamon had to admit that being around her was preferable to dealing with his half-brotherās egocentric ramblings. She took his antics in stride, perhaps they were well-matched he silently admitted.
He let Mathias talk, as usual, pretending not to notice the absurdity of the situationāhis brotherās complete indifference to the injured Avis or anyone else in the room. Mathias rambled on, talking about his pants, his care package, and the colognes heād received from their father, as if the rest of the world didnāt exist. This was an accurate view of Mathias as a person, he was completely self-absorbed.
Aamon flinched slightly when the Pink Lady called the boy beside him Finn. That name... it jolted a memory buried deep in his mind. "Finn", he mouthed, pale with realization. He suddenly remembered the name from his foggy, pain-filled days in the medical wingāa name tied to the disgraced healer, Finley VanCleaf. Finley and his twin brother August had a complicated history, one raised in magical affluence, the other in the wrong society, both tied to the Athanatos family in strange and messy ways. Aamon had never made the connection before now, thinking the name was a part of a dream or a state of delusion.
"I've hardly done anything, the real hero is Aamon, getting Avis up here must not have been easy. He's the real man of the hour." Finn said modestly, elbowing Aamon in the ribs. The sudden contact made Aamon jolt. He wasnāt used to being touched, especially not in such a casual way. He forced a nervous laugh, trying to deflect the attention. "T-thanks... Finn." He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as he stammered the name, committing it to memory with a strange sense of unease.
Things seemed to be settling down now, though Aamon was still on edge. The bruise remover paste, the gathered crowd of good samaritans, it all reassured him that Avis would be fine. She didnāt deserve thisāsure, she was blunt, maybe a little pushy, but not cruel. His friends were just a bit overprotective he told himself, as if lying to himself enough times would make it somehow true. She caught his eye briefly, and he gave her a small, tight-lipped smile. The tension in his shoulders finally began to ease as he prepared to slip out of the room, ready to leave the chaos behind.
But then Avis spoke, her voice dripping with indignation. "A SEER? Really? And you just let someone push me down the stairs?"
Aamon froze. She thinks I knew? His mind raced. The lie was intended to explain how he found Winnie so easily, to deflect questions and interest, not elicit accusations of negligence.
"I hate to burst your bubble," Avis blurted out, "but eleven-year-old Seers donāt exist." Her tone filled with the certainty of someone who clearly thought she knew better on a subject she knew nothing about. If Hogwarts had already covered Seers, she likely failed the unit. "So none of us could've known you'd get pushed down the stairs. If that makes you feel any better. Which I'm sure it doesn't."
Aamon bit his lip, the words hanging in the air, sharp and accusatory. He needed to deflect, to steer the conversation away from dangerous truths. "Untrue," he said calmly, ignoring her direct accusation. His voice took on a detached, matter-of-fact tone as he continued, "My entire familyāwell, most of usāare Seers." Gideon and Vladimir were exceptions, of course, but that didnāt matter right now. "Seers donāt get to choose what they see. Itās like a moving picture, sometimes with sound, but not always." He shrugged slightly, as if the information was trivial.
A part of him knew he was playing with fire by saying so much, but he pressed on, hoping to continue to divert their suspicion while also maintaining his innocence on the things that mattered. "The Athanatos family is well known as a family of Seers," he reaffirmed, something the girl would know if she read the paper. "The most powerful of us can influence the threads of fate," he added, his voice cool, hiding the small but critical omission that he hadnāt seen anything. "But I'm too young for that," he admitted. He was only eleven, barely able to light the tip of his wand. His grasp on his arcane potential was tenuous at best. "I can't choose what I see. Understand the context. All you get from me until I gain ultimate control is occasional images of tragic circumstances or dramatic victories." He forced a smile to soften his words, trying to sell the lie as a half-truth. "Or a lady in pink on her kneed rendering aide to a crumbled form I recognized a bit too late," he claimed with a tohne of false apology. For those that knew the truth, which were none at this time, they should be concerned with how easy it was for him to lie.
He paused, he should have taken the moment to think but he was on auto-pilot with the half-lie as he deflected a final time. "But my brother is capable of changing the fates," he gestured towards Mathias before realizing, too late, that heād breached their agreement.
Aamon's stomach dropped. He knew thereād be hell to pay later for that slip. Mathias would never let it go.
He chuckled nervously, glancing at the older Slytherin boyāknown for his grudgesāhoping he hadnāt just made things worse for himself.
He did.
He locked eyes with Pride, but said nothing to himā Aamon just stared a little too long, like he was trying to figure out if Mathias was supposed to care. Mathias didn't, of course. Mathias Pride didnāt do emotional attachment. Aamon sighed quietly to himself, recalling the unspoken rule between them: never acknowledge their shared bloodline. Mathias had once called him an "annoyingāsomething or other" and made it clear they werenāt supposed to be connected in public unless a journalist made the unfortunate connection. Thankfully most of Mathias' friends probably did not read.
Across the room, Meiyu and Astra were bickering in that way that only girls couldāsharp words wrapped in faux politeness. Aamon didnāt understand why they clashed, though it seemed like Astra just expected everyone to fall in line with her unpleasant demeanor. The moment she'd arrived, she tried to shoo the rest of them away, insisting on being alone with the vulnerable girl who clearly didnāt want to be in her presence. Aamon disagreed with Meiyuās decision to engage with Astra, but he wasnāt about to get involved. It wasnāt his fight.
His eyes flicked to the "Pink Lady," or "his woman" as Mathias sometimes called her, though she wasnāt nearly as bad as his brother had made her out to be. Mathias often referred to her shrill voice and unreasonable demands for affection, but he spoke surprisingly well of her Quidditch skills and even her "brute strength," though Aamon had always wondered if that was meant as a backhanded compliment. She seemed more approachable than Mathias ever let on, and in this moment, Aamon had to admit that being around her was preferable to dealing with his half-brotherās egocentric ramblings. She took his antics in stride, perhaps they were well-matched he silently admitted.
He let Mathias talk, as usual, pretending not to notice the absurdity of the situationāhis brotherās complete indifference to the injured Avis or anyone else in the room. Mathias rambled on, talking about his pants, his care package, and the colognes heād received from their father, as if the rest of the world didnāt exist. This was an accurate view of Mathias as a person, he was completely self-absorbed.
Aamon flinched slightly when the Pink Lady called the boy beside him Finn. That name... it jolted a memory buried deep in his mind. "Finn", he mouthed, pale with realization. He suddenly remembered the name from his foggy, pain-filled days in the medical wingāa name tied to the disgraced healer, Finley VanCleaf. Finley and his twin brother August had a complicated history, one raised in magical affluence, the other in the wrong society, both tied to the Athanatos family in strange and messy ways. Aamon had never made the connection before now, thinking the name was a part of a dream or a state of delusion.
"I've hardly done anything, the real hero is Aamon, getting Avis up here must not have been easy. He's the real man of the hour." Finn said modestly, elbowing Aamon in the ribs. The sudden contact made Aamon jolt. He wasnāt used to being touched, especially not in such a casual way. He forced a nervous laugh, trying to deflect the attention. "T-thanks... Finn." He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as he stammered the name, committing it to memory with a strange sense of unease.
Things seemed to be settling down now, though Aamon was still on edge. The bruise remover paste, the gathered crowd of good samaritans, it all reassured him that Avis would be fine. She didnāt deserve thisāsure, she was blunt, maybe a little pushy, but not cruel. His friends were just a bit overprotective he told himself, as if lying to himself enough times would make it somehow true. She caught his eye briefly, and he gave her a small, tight-lipped smile. The tension in his shoulders finally began to ease as he prepared to slip out of the room, ready to leave the chaos behind.
But then Avis spoke, her voice dripping with indignation. "A SEER? Really? And you just let someone push me down the stairs?"
Aamon froze. She thinks I knew? His mind raced. The lie was intended to explain how he found Winnie so easily, to deflect questions and interest, not elicit accusations of negligence.
"I hate to burst your bubble," Avis blurted out, "but eleven-year-old Seers donāt exist." Her tone filled with the certainty of someone who clearly thought she knew better on a subject she knew nothing about. If Hogwarts had already covered Seers, she likely failed the unit. "So none of us could've known you'd get pushed down the stairs. If that makes you feel any better. Which I'm sure it doesn't."
Aamon bit his lip, the words hanging in the air, sharp and accusatory. He needed to deflect, to steer the conversation away from dangerous truths. "Untrue," he said calmly, ignoring her direct accusation. His voice took on a detached, matter-of-fact tone as he continued, "My entire familyāwell, most of usāare Seers." Gideon and Vladimir were exceptions, of course, but that didnāt matter right now. "Seers donāt get to choose what they see. Itās like a moving picture, sometimes with sound, but not always." He shrugged slightly, as if the information was trivial.
A part of him knew he was playing with fire by saying so much, but he pressed on, hoping to continue to divert their suspicion while also maintaining his innocence on the things that mattered. "The Athanatos family is well known as a family of Seers," he reaffirmed, something the girl would know if she read the paper. "The most powerful of us can influence the threads of fate," he added, his voice cool, hiding the small but critical omission that he hadnāt seen anything. "But I'm too young for that," he admitted. He was only eleven, barely able to light the tip of his wand. His grasp on his arcane potential was tenuous at best. "I can't choose what I see. Understand the context. All you get from me until I gain ultimate control is occasional images of tragic circumstances or dramatic victories." He forced a smile to soften his words, trying to sell the lie as a half-truth. "Or a lady in pink on her kneed rendering aide to a crumbled form I recognized a bit too late," he claimed with a tohne of false apology. For those that knew the truth, which were none at this time, they should be concerned with how easy it was for him to lie.
He paused, he should have taken the moment to think but he was on auto-pilot with the half-lie as he deflected a final time. "But my brother is capable of changing the fates," he gestured towards Mathias before realizing, too late, that heād breached their agreement.
Aamon's stomach dropped. He knew thereād be hell to pay later for that slip. Mathias would never let it go.
He chuckled nervously, glancing at the older Slytherin boyāknown for his grudgesāhoping he hadnāt just made things worse for himself.
He did.
iNPC: Taylor Athanatos
2 Oct 2024, 23:12
The Pink Lady
Nothing in this room mattered. Not the petty bickering, not the girl crumpled on the floor pretending to be more important than she was, and certainly not the chaotic buzz of voices that surrounded him. None of it registered for Mathias. The only thing that mattered was the impending disasterāthe kind of disaster only someone like him, so patient and wonderful, could navigate with grace.Warning: He is a bit crude in references. I did blunt them to meet the rating.
Winnie was preoccupied with that bothersome girl, tending to her as if it was her duty to play Florence Nightingale. Mathias couldnāt fathom why she bothered with such nuisances. He sighed, long-suffering, reminding himself that he was benevolent, after all. He had shared the highlights of his day with the room, not because they were deserving, but because he was generous.
Winnie was the luckiest girl in Hogwarts when she remembered it. He had made sure of that. The forgetfulness potion had been a stroke of geniusāmasked perfectly by the strawberry juice she loved so much. No fights, no drama. She was his perfect girlfriend, always doting, always compliant, just like she was supposed to be. And why wouldnāt she be? Mathias had made sure she only remembered things the way he wanted.
He glanced over at the girl on the floor. She seemed to be patching up just fine, as expected. No one was actually concerned for her well-beingāshe wasnāt going to die from whatever trivial injury sheād sustained. Mathias was already thinking ahead. Theyād be out of here soon enough, unless... Winnie had something more adventurous in mind. He smirked at the thought of a little exhibitionist escapade. He could be into that.
But then, Winnieās voice broke through his musings, sharp and accusing.
"Wait, is that why you think I invited you here? Tell me you know what today is. Tell me you didnāt forget... Again."
Mathias blinked, her words snapping him out of his detached haze. What now? He didnāt have a clue what she was talking about, but the accusatory tone was enough to set him on edge. He forced a smile, shrugging casually. "I remembered," he lied smoothly, his voice laced with false confidence. He hadnāt, of course. It was just another Wednesday to himāWienerschnitzel Wednesday, sure, but nothing more. "But youāre in the middle of..." He gestured vaguely toward the scene in front of them, desperately searching for a way to deflect. "Playing doctor with someone besides me," he added, aiming to shift the blame and put her on the defensive. Maybe if she felt guilty enough, sheād let it go.
His eyes flicked back to Winnie, gauging her reaction, ready to steer the conversation wherever it needed to go to keep his facade intact. It was always about control. And Mathias? He was very good at controlling things.
When were they going to make-out? As previously mentioned, he did not have all day. "It's been cancelled you moron," Finn proclaimed. "It's her birthday and you should know better. Why don't you run off to get murtlap essence? Make yourself useful." Making the mistake of telling Pride what day today was. He tried to control the flash of panic that struck his mind like a dart to the ass.
Mathias didnāt bother hiding the smirk that spread across his face as Finnegan rambled, waving that scrunchie around like it was some grand prize and inadvertently giving Pride back his power. The little Gryffindor was puffed up with self-importance, positioning himself between Mathias and Winnie as if that would somehow keep him at bay. It was cute, really. Mathias let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. How long is this kid going to play at this?
Finneganās attempt at bravado was painfully transparent, and Mathias could see right through it. The way the boy blushed and squirmed when Winnie handed him that scrunchieāit was almost embarrassing to watch. He clearly thought it meant something more, something deeper. Cute, but wrong.
Mathias leaned casually against the wall of the classroom, one eyebrow raised as he watched Finnegan struggle to control the situation. When Finnegan called him a moron and made a big show of talking about their canceled make-out session, Mathias couldnāt help but snort. āCancelled, huh?ā he said, his voice dripping with condescension. āAnd you think that changes anything, kid?ā He was not sure how old Finn was, but unless he was a short king worthy of the role of court jester, he was maybe a second year. He underestimated the teen based on his and his brother's height, recalling how he towered (still) above many of his peers, but struggling to recall by how much.
He let the silence hang for a moment, his gaze flicking down to Finneganās wrist and that ridiculous, probably pink or lacy scrunchie. āYou know, wearing that doesnāt make you her boyfriend.ā His tone was light, almost amused. āBut good try.ā He glanced over at Winnie, who seemed unbothered by the whole scene, and then back at Finnegan. āIām not here to fetch Murtlap essence. Iāve got better things to do,ā he puckered his lips in a mocking pose.
As Finnegan started fiddling with Winnieās hair, Mathias stepped forward, a lazy grin still playing on his lips. He didnāt care about the scrunchie or the petty posturing. What amused him most was how hard Finnegan was tryingātrying to play the hero, trying to claim Winnie, trying to act like he wasnāt completely out of his depth.
āLook, Finn,ā Mathias said, his voice cool, dripping with patronizing ease, āIāll make this simple for you. You can stand there with your scrunchie and your bravado, but you and I both know how this is gonna go.ā He glanced at Aamon, catching his half-brotherās uneasy gaze for just a second. Aamon looked like heād rather disappear into the floor, and Mathias would deal with him later for that little slip about the Seer business, letting out a cough as if it would cover the slip.
Attention back on the twerp. āBut hey,ā Mathias added, taking a step closer, āyou keep thinking youāre the hero here. Meanwhile, when youāre done with your little moment, Iāll still be the one walking out of here with her. Walking down that hall... slipping into a nice, cozy place with just me and her...ā He smirked, the boy could fill in the gaps.
He winked at Winnie and took another deliberate bite of the wienerschnitzel he was still holding, the casual arrogance of it all making it clear he wasnāt fazed by Finneganās antics in the slightest. This wasnāt even a fight worth havingāit was a joke. Finnegan might think heād claimed victory with a scrunchie, but Mathias knew better. He always did. "I'm sorry these kids ruined your birthday," he apologized. "I had something planned but we lack the time," he lied. "I'll make it up to you and then some this weekend," he promised. He might not even wipe her memory this time.
Event NPC
3 Oct 2024, 00:47
The Pink Lady
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Interacting: @Aamon Athanatos | @Avis Marlong | @Finnegan Connor
This situation was getting a bit confusing as there were too many conversations happening at once, not to mention that Winnie's hair was still obscuring her vision. She had been sheltered for most of her life, so she truly had no idea what passing over a scrunchie meant, nor did she know it was more common for preteens and young teens to partake in the ritual, really more of a 'kid' thing that people did with crushes. So she was left wondering what was taking the Gryffindor so long to do the one task the Ravenclaw had given him. She knew her hair was a bit difficult to deal with but he hadn't even tried and now the tips were smeared with the bruise paste she had used on Avis.
"Doesn't it mean splint, though? It created a splint."
"It does, and it's great for transporting someone with a broken leg if treatment isn't available right away. You did good with the spells at your disposal. Muggles actually have something similar, not the spell of course, but they use casts to set broken bones and it can take months for them to heal." She was only giving Astra a 'fun fact' because she thought the girl was a pureblood. She seemed like one to Winnie, at least.
"Happy birthday. Sorry, we crashed your party."
The redhead offered her lowerclassman a smile before shaking her head, "No, you didn't crash my party. I was just meeting up with Matt. I'm glad I was able to help you."
"Concussed? Is there a spell to fix that?"
She nodded to confirm Astra's suspicions. "I'm afraid so. Luckily it should be easy to fix... A concussion is really just bruising and bleeding around the brain."
She dimmed her wand light before trying to continue with Avis' treatment, āI am going to cast another spell on you to get rid of it. This might hurt a bit, but you should be feeling much better.ā
Holding her wand pointed once again at Avis, Winnie cast one more spell, "Reparifors!"
Note: I picked this spell due to it's ability to help cancel out stat conditions. Given the flavour of the RP I thought it was the best choice.
WDC is 11.
[d20 : 9] + 9
In the end, the result was: 18
50 + 7 Ć 8 = 106
20% of 106 is 21.
21 + 106 = 127
Avis has healed 127 hit points, unless she dodges the spell."Thank you for your help, I didn't know who to look for or what to do, but I'm glad somebody did."
Winnie offered her underclassman a smile, "It's not an issue; you can come and find me anytime you need help. After all, older students are meant to guide younger students." If Avis had allowed her to cast the spell on her, she would hopefully start feeling a lot better than when she had first arrived in the room.
"The Athanatos family is well known as a family of Seers,"
Winnie's attention was perked when she heard the mystery kid mention the Athanatos family. She was aware that Mathias was part of the family, and that they had many seers because she had read as much in the newspaper before. "MATT! You never told me you had another cousin attending Hogwarts!"
"But my brother is capable of changing the fates."
It was entirely possible that Mathias had, at some point, told her he was a seer, or that she perhaps had come to conclusion on her own. But after getting her memory scrambled more times than a breakfast egg, who could say? She would never know if she had once knew about a piece of information or if it was her first time learning it. Like her boyfriend of three and a half years being a seer, or the fact that Aamon was Mathias' brother and not his cousin, or maybe both, who could keep track anymore? "Oh, wow... That sounds impressive. Who is your brother?"
"It's been cancelled you moron. It's her birthday and you should know better. Why don't you run off to get murtlap essence? Make yourself useful."
"FINN!" The older student could only gawk over at her friend when he was so blatantly rude to her boyfriend. The scene was made even more confusing when he started to wave around his hand, displaying the scrunchieāwait, hold onāthat she had given him mere moments ago.
"Even if he forgot... T-There's no need to be rude. I'm sure he has an explanation." All the Gryffindor had done was make her feel bad for her boyfriend, when a minute ago she was gearing up for her classic pterodactyl screech over him forgetting her birthday. Also, he had given away the date! Now, sheād never know if Mathias truly forgot or if heād lie and claim he remembered. How was she supposed to screech at him now?
āYou know, wearing that doesnāt make you her boyfriend.ā
Wait, what the hell was he going on about? The scrunchie? Was this over the... What? Oh, Merlin. Finn must have remembered the two had relationship trouble over the summer. Of course! How could she not see it? He was trying to help Winnie by claiming they were dating now, just in case she wanted an easy out with Mathias or something. "Finn, it's okay; you don't have to pretend we're dating to try and protect me."
"Happy birthday."
The Ravenclaw almost jumped a foot in the air when she realized the Gryffindor was directly behind her and now brushing her hair aside. A bit too little too late since she was almost done with Avis. "O-Oh... Thank you."
Iāll make this simple for you. You can stand there with your scrunchie and your bravado, but you and I both know how this is gonna go.ā
Her stomach plummeted. Matt was not going to let this go easily, was he? She was quick to scramble to her feet, despite the heels hindering her a bit. "Mattie..." She started with a warning tone, though, for a reason she couldn't quite explain, she knew he wouldn't listen to her.
"Walking down that hall... slipping into a nice, cozy place with just me and her..."
"MATHIAS." Winnie's cheeks were almost as dark as her hair colour, and her boyfriend's flirty wink certainly didn't help the issue. Maybe they didn't have to talk, maybe they could slip away for a bit of kissing before classāfocus, Winnie! Curse those pillowy lips.
"I'm sorry these kids ruined your birthday. I had something planned but we lack the time. I'll make it up to you and then some this weekend."
"O-Oh, okay." She couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. Did she believe him? No, and thanks to Finn she would never know for certain if he had forgotten about her birthday, but surely he wouldn't forget about the raincheck he was promising... Right?
Trying to step between Mathias and Finn before things escalated again, Winnie barely made a dent in blocking the Gryffindorās frame. She only stood at 5 feet tall, perhaps an extra two if one were to count the height of her heels. She needed to do something that would keep the boys from circling each other like a couple of territorial Hippogriffs.
She took a few steps forward, wrapping her arms around his middle. She tilted her head back, gazing up at him with exaggerated adoration. Merlin, had he somehow gotten even taller? āThey didnāt ruin my birthday; I just wanted to spend it with you. And... youāre here now, so...ā She gave him a small smile, ācan we find an empty classroom, like you said? Please?ā
ā ā | ā ā | STA: 15 ā¢ EVA: 18 ā¢ STR: 8 WIS: 11 ā¢ ARC: 7 ā¢ ACC: 17 | ā ā | ā¢ Healing Sage ā¢ Muggle Condition ā¢ Paragon of Health ā¢ ā¢ Poison Resistance ā¢ Animagus ā¢ Wandmaker ā¢ Lovely Creature ā¢ | ā ā | ā ā |
3 Oct 2024, 01:06
The Pink Lady
Mathias stood there, watching the scene unfold like some sort of ridiculous play, his patience fraying by the second. Finn was prancing around with that stupid scrunchie like it meant anything, and Winnieābless herāwas too caught up in trying to keep the peace. Her soft apologies, her confused stammering... it was almost amusing how she tried to defend him, even when she was clearly rattled by the whole situation.
He felt a familiar smirk tug at his lips as she wrapped her arms around his middle, looking up at him with those wide, adoring eyes. Cute. She knew how to play her part, at least. But Mathias wasnāt about to let her, or anyone else in this room, make him out to be the fool.
Finnās little outburst about birthdays and Murtlap essence? It registered with Mathias, even if he wanted to claim it was little more an annoyance than anything, he held grudges firmer than a fat woman does cake. The Gryffindor thought he could step in, act like a white knight in shining armor, and humiliate him in front of everyone. Pathetic. Mathias shot a sharp look at Finn, the dismissive kind, before turning his attention back to Winnie. His hand brushed the small of her back as he leaned in, just enough to feel her melt a little at the touch. He knew the game. And he always won.
āYou know, babe,ā he said softly, just loud enough for Finn to hear, his voice smooth and full of deliberate sweetness, āIād never forget something as important as your birthday. This was supposed to be our day, but these kids...ā He trailed off, feigning disappointment, his eyes flicking briefly to Finn and then back to Winnie. āI had everything planned. But donāt worry, Iāll make it up to you. This weekend, itāll just be you and me. You deserve that, after all.ā
Her big, hopeful eyes didnāt miss the mark, and Mathias could see how easily she was falling back into his orbit. He had no idea that she was starting to finally catch on. That she had begun to learn to lie. He believed that she wanted to believe him. And why wouldnāt she? Heād been careful, always, dosing her just enough so that her memories were fuzzy, her thoughts confused. She wouldnāt know if heād forgotten her birthday or not unless he wanted her to. She wouldnāt remember half the things that had gone wrong in their relationship.
He almost laughed when she mentioned Finn trying to protect her. Protect her from what? Mathias raised an eyebrow, glancing down at Finn like he was some kind of amusing sideshow. āFinn, pretending youāre her boyfriend wonāt change anything,ā he said, a chuckle escaping his lips. āWearing a scrunchie doesnāt make you important, it just makes you look desperate.ā
Winnieās arms tightened around him, and Mathias could feel her trying to hold him back, to keep him from escalating things. She was strong enough to but she was no brawler. She was the sort that confronted others with a word, not a hand or wand. She neednāt worry. Finn wasnāt a threat. Not even close. He wasnāt worth the effort. Or so he told himself, but he was too petty to not make a thing of it.
She tried to salve the bruised ego. Abraded hope. Whatever it was - claiming that they did not ruin her birthday. That they could still make-out. Her voice was a warning, even if it was also a concession, but Mathias could hear the uncertainty there, too. He knew her well enough by now to know when she was trying to keep things calmātrying to keep him calm. But there was something more this time he felt in the pit of his stomach and it left him uneasy. He stroked her back, the gesture comforting, as if he cared.
She was playing the part, though. Adoration in her eyes, clinging to him as if that would stop him from what he had already decided. Mathias gave her a slow, deliberate smile, brushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as he leaned in closer. āSure, babe. An empty classroom. Just you and me, like I promised.ā His voice was smooth as honey, and for a moment, he almost believed it himself. He gave Finn a smug, sideways glance before his attention returned fully to Winnie.
āLetās get out of here. You donāt need to waste your time with this lot.ā He shot a final dismissive look toward Finn and Aamon, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. āWeāve got better things to do.ā
He felt a familiar smirk tug at his lips as she wrapped her arms around his middle, looking up at him with those wide, adoring eyes. Cute. She knew how to play her part, at least. But Mathias wasnāt about to let her, or anyone else in this room, make him out to be the fool.
Finnās little outburst about birthdays and Murtlap essence? It registered with Mathias, even if he wanted to claim it was little more an annoyance than anything, he held grudges firmer than a fat woman does cake. The Gryffindor thought he could step in, act like a white knight in shining armor, and humiliate him in front of everyone. Pathetic. Mathias shot a sharp look at Finn, the dismissive kind, before turning his attention back to Winnie. His hand brushed the small of her back as he leaned in, just enough to feel her melt a little at the touch. He knew the game. And he always won.
āYou know, babe,ā he said softly, just loud enough for Finn to hear, his voice smooth and full of deliberate sweetness, āIād never forget something as important as your birthday. This was supposed to be our day, but these kids...ā He trailed off, feigning disappointment, his eyes flicking briefly to Finn and then back to Winnie. āI had everything planned. But donāt worry, Iāll make it up to you. This weekend, itāll just be you and me. You deserve that, after all.ā
Her big, hopeful eyes didnāt miss the mark, and Mathias could see how easily she was falling back into his orbit. He had no idea that she was starting to finally catch on. That she had begun to learn to lie. He believed that she wanted to believe him. And why wouldnāt she? Heād been careful, always, dosing her just enough so that her memories were fuzzy, her thoughts confused. She wouldnāt know if heād forgotten her birthday or not unless he wanted her to. She wouldnāt remember half the things that had gone wrong in their relationship.
He almost laughed when she mentioned Finn trying to protect her. Protect her from what? Mathias raised an eyebrow, glancing down at Finn like he was some kind of amusing sideshow. āFinn, pretending youāre her boyfriend wonāt change anything,ā he said, a chuckle escaping his lips. āWearing a scrunchie doesnāt make you important, it just makes you look desperate.ā
Winnieās arms tightened around him, and Mathias could feel her trying to hold him back, to keep him from escalating things. She was strong enough to but she was no brawler. She was the sort that confronted others with a word, not a hand or wand. She neednāt worry. Finn wasnāt a threat. Not even close. He wasnāt worth the effort. Or so he told himself, but he was too petty to not make a thing of it.
She tried to salve the bruised ego. Abraded hope. Whatever it was - claiming that they did not ruin her birthday. That they could still make-out. Her voice was a warning, even if it was also a concession, but Mathias could hear the uncertainty there, too. He knew her well enough by now to know when she was trying to keep things calmātrying to keep him calm. But there was something more this time he felt in the pit of his stomach and it left him uneasy. He stroked her back, the gesture comforting, as if he cared.
She was playing the part, though. Adoration in her eyes, clinging to him as if that would stop him from what he had already decided. Mathias gave her a slow, deliberate smile, brushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as he leaned in closer. āSure, babe. An empty classroom. Just you and me, like I promised.ā His voice was smooth as honey, and for a moment, he almost believed it himself. He gave Finn a smug, sideways glance before his attention returned fully to Winnie.
āLetās get out of here. You donāt need to waste your time with this lot.ā He shot a final dismissive look toward Finn and Aamon, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. āWeāve got better things to do.ā
Event NPC
3 Oct 2024, 02:30
The Pink Lady
"Reparifors!"
It hurt, Avis wouldn't deny that, but once the pain faded, she felt better, like herself again, like before she had been pushed down the stairs and that whole mess.
Most of the conversations she didn't really care about. Most of it was very confusing. But she did get a few things. The pink lady was dating the idiot, and the idiot was really really good at being sweet to her. The hospital boy @Finnegan Connor was jealous of said relationship, and the idiot seemed offended by the jealousy of the relationship.
While Avis didn't like the idiot, she couldn't deny he was sweet with the pink lady, and they were cute together. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she had thought. Maybe he only had eyes for his girl, and the hospital boy was just a bit extra harsh to him. Maybe he wasn't such an idiot, maybe he was just in love. After all, it wasn't his fault that the pink lady had chosen him over the hospital boy. Clearly the girl adored him. Plus, he had plans for his girlfriend's birthday over the weekend. As the pink lady wrapped her arms around him and gazed up at him, Avis sighed that one sigh, that aww that becomes of something that's as sweet as the movies but in real life.
The scary girl was still there. Something was still wrong. But Avis tried to ignore it. The girl had helped her out, tried her best with what she had for Avis before Aamon brought her to the pink lady. Avis smiled at the girl, I'm sorry and thank you smashed into one humble smile of hopeful reconciliation.
"I can't choose what I see. Understand the context. All you get from me until I gain ultimate control is occasional images of tragic circumstances or dramatic victories. Or a lady in pink on her kneed rendering aide to a crumbled form I recognized a bit too late, But my brother is capable of changing the fates," Aamon had gestured towards the pink lady's boyfriend, but Avis didn't put the two together. As far as she was concerned, Aamon had simply flung out his hand for emphasis, happenchance towards the boyfriend and his sweetheart. She also didn't particularly understand. To her, changing the fates happened everytime someone made a choice. But his excuse. She did not accept that.
"You told us it was dangerous, you told us we could get hurt. How could you have known if you hadn't seen it?"
The hospital boy might think Aamon was a hero in this, but Avis certainly didn't. Maybe he had extra information that Avis didn't. She didn't really know what to think of him, as he seemed to switch his attitude every 3 seconds, but his coincidentally being at both the hospital and here, and just knowing everyone, she knew that he was involved in this somehow. And if she couldn't through to Aamon, he would be her next target.
It hurt, Avis wouldn't deny that, but once the pain faded, she felt better, like herself again, like before she had been pushed down the stairs and that whole mess.
Most of the conversations she didn't really care about. Most of it was very confusing. But she did get a few things. The pink lady was dating the idiot, and the idiot was really really good at being sweet to her. The hospital boy @Finnegan Connor was jealous of said relationship, and the idiot seemed offended by the jealousy of the relationship.
While Avis didn't like the idiot, she couldn't deny he was sweet with the pink lady, and they were cute together. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she had thought. Maybe he only had eyes for his girl, and the hospital boy was just a bit extra harsh to him. Maybe he wasn't such an idiot, maybe he was just in love. After all, it wasn't his fault that the pink lady had chosen him over the hospital boy. Clearly the girl adored him. Plus, he had plans for his girlfriend's birthday over the weekend. As the pink lady wrapped her arms around him and gazed up at him, Avis sighed that one sigh, that aww that becomes of something that's as sweet as the movies but in real life.
The scary girl was still there. Something was still wrong. But Avis tried to ignore it. The girl had helped her out, tried her best with what she had for Avis before Aamon brought her to the pink lady. Avis smiled at the girl, I'm sorry and thank you smashed into one humble smile of hopeful reconciliation.
"I can't choose what I see. Understand the context. All you get from me until I gain ultimate control is occasional images of tragic circumstances or dramatic victories. Or a lady in pink on her kneed rendering aide to a crumbled form I recognized a bit too late, But my brother is capable of changing the fates," Aamon had gestured towards the pink lady's boyfriend, but Avis didn't put the two together. As far as she was concerned, Aamon had simply flung out his hand for emphasis, happenchance towards the boyfriend and his sweetheart. She also didn't particularly understand. To her, changing the fates happened everytime someone made a choice. But his excuse. She did not accept that.
"You told us it was dangerous, you told us we could get hurt. How could you have known if you hadn't seen it?"
The hospital boy might think Aamon was a hero in this, but Avis certainly didn't. Maybe he had extra information that Avis didn't. She didn't really know what to think of him, as he seemed to switch his attitude every 3 seconds, but his coincidentally being at both the hospital and here, and just knowing everyone, she knew that he was involved in this somehow. And if she couldn't through to Aamon, he would be her next target.
Avis Marlong | āShe won't cry or beg for help...she'll isolate from the world and fight her own demons so that nobody can throw it in her face later.ā |
"The odds of hitting your target increase dramatically when you aim at it." Benji Marecos |
3 Oct 2024, 15:02
The Pink Lady
š I N N E G A Nxš O N N O R
ļ¼ļ¼²ļ¼¤ ļ¼¹ļ¼„ļ¼”ļ¼²ļ¼§ļ¼²ļ¼¹ļ¼¦ļ¼¦ļ¼©ļ¼®ļ¼¤ļ¼Æļ¼²The Pink Lady, 25th September 2024xxxx
"T-thanks... Finn." This time, Aamon seemed a little more uncomfortable with receiving praise, or perhaps it was less about the compliment and more about the attention it brought to him. Finnegan did not push his luck any further, the boy knew his name, that was a measure of progress at least. Maybe next time an accident happened around Aamon ā it would surely only be a matter of time ā he'd be the first port of call in the Slytherin's mind. I'd like to be, he thought. He needed to be close to Aamon if he was to earn the boy's trust.
To the young Gryffindor's thanks, he merely offered a curt nod and a quick "of course." He'd find a time and place to pull Meiyu aside later, to warn her against hanging around these people in the future. She did not yet know the dangers involved with doing so and ignorance would not protect her.
Thanks to Winnie's skillful work, poor Avis was looking a bit better, even managing to engage in the bickering around her with righteous indignation. "A SEER? Really? And you just let someone push me down the stairs?"
What?
The root cause of Avis' battered state was filed away for later. Astonished, he followed her gaze to Aamon.
"I hate to burst your bubble, but eleven year old seers don't exist." Astra interjected. She seemed to be very sure of herself, a feeling he did not share. He was quite sure Seers were born with their ability. Age only mattered in regard to the development of that ability, not the ability itself, if he remembered his lessons correctly. At least Astra did confirm that Avis had been pushed down the stairs, but by whom?
Finnegan's eyes widened when Aamon spoke. It wasn't news to him that the Athanatos family was flush with Seers, though Aamon's comment pulled that fact into more stark focus than ever before. It seemed an important detail, one he had not given proper thought in his investigations so far. Yet it was what Aamon said next that made his ears perk up.
"The most powerful of us can influence the threads of fate." That was new. That was important. Part of him wished he could share it with Evelynn, she too would've found that bit of information most interesting. Sadly, Evelynn Decipio had proven herself to be mentally unstable and was to be avoided at all costs.
Finnegan soaked up all that Aamon revealed and prayed to God no one would stop the boy from talking. He was spilling liquid gold from his mouth, saving the most shocking revelation for last.
"But my brother is capable of changing the fates"
Mathias Pride is his brother?
On the surface, it made no sense. The boys had distinctly different surnames. But why would Aamon lie? He'd said it so casually that there was no reason to disbelieve him. In fact, the had a rather obvious likeness when it came to their height. Both boys were exceedingly tall and perhaps, on closer inspection, the similarities wouldn't end there. For all intents and purposes, Mathias was now filed under the Athanatos family in Finn's mind, and that made him immediately suspicious.
Dangerous too.
Capable of changing the fates? He would've passed it off as laughably boastful to even claim such a thing, but if Mathias was truly part of the Athanatos family, it was terrifying. Changing fate did not sound like a power anyone should have, never mind someone so selfish and crude as Mathias Pride.
If what Aamon said was true, Winnie was in far graver danger than just getting chlamydia. His eyes flitted over to the Ravenclaw teenager, was Mathias blackmailing her? She seemed entirely too calm and chipper around someone so vile. He wished he knew what symptoms to look for. Maybe he should ask her to blink twice if she was being held against her will.
"FINN!"
"Winnie!" he replied just as enthusiastically, though his version was accompanied by a charming smile. He was perfectly innocent, thanks very much.
"Even if he forgot... T-There's no need to be rude. I'm sure he has an explanation."
He's a cunt, there's your explanation, Finn answered her in his thoughts.
Like a lighthouse catching an enemy ship on the waves in its beam, Pride's attention fell on him.
āCancelled, huh? And you think that changes anything, kid?ā
He had to crane his neck to look up at Aamon's older brother. Why did he have to be so tall? When the teenager had been sauntering up the stairway chewing his schnitzels, he'd seemed a lot less imposing.
"You know, wearing that doesnāt make you her boyfriend. But good try. Iām not here to fetch Murtlap essence. Iāve got better things to do.ā
Like being an ass, Finn thought instinctively. He let the comment about the scrunchie slide. Everyone and their grandma knew that Mathias was dead wrong on that account.
Yet he insisted, even took a step closer to loom over him.
Look, Finn. Iāll make this simple for you. You can stand there with your scrunchie and your bravado, but you and I both know how this is gonna go.ā
Doubt started to creep in, slow at first, spreading like poison. At the edge of his peripheral vision he noticed Aamon seeming to shrink a little. Perhaps Pride's younger brother had an inkling of what was coming, of 'how this was going to go'.
It didn't bode well.
"But hey, you keep thinking youāre the hero here. Meanwhile, when youāre done with your little moment, Iāll still be the one walking out of here with her. Walking down that hall... slipping into a nice, cozy place with just me and her..."
In his mind he had the perfect retort, in his mind he stood up to Mathias. In reality, his shoulders tensed and his eyes darted around, searching for a way out while his imagination ran wild with all the vile things Mathias might have planned for poor Winnie. For the time being, Mathias's intimidation won out over the anger swelling in Finnegan's chest.
He would never admit it, but it was a relief when Pride refocused his attention on Winnie instead of him. It gave him a moment to breathe, time to think and retreat a pace, time to come up with a plan.
"(...) I'll make it up to you and then some this weekend." It was astonishing how someone so pale and ordinary looking, except for his height, could make him feel levels of disgust usually reserved for slugs or maggots feasting on rotting flesh.
He was too grossed out, too busy to think about what he could possibly do to save Winnie to really pay much attention to what she was saying.
āYou know, babe-ā
Finnegan's mind was racing. I won't stand a chance fighting him-
"Iād never forget something as important as your birthday."
-not with fists anyway. I'll need my wand, where's my wand-
"This was supposed to be our day, but these kids..."
He felt around in the kangaroo pocket on his light grey hoodie for a familiar handle. Who's going to help? Astra? What a ridiculous thought.
"I had everything planned. But donāt worry, Iāll make it up to you."
-Aamon? He seems afraid. He'd found his wand, gripped it tight, yet did not pull it. Not yet.
"This weekend, itāll just be you and me-"
Avis? She's lucky if she can walk.
"You deserve that, after all."
The little Gryffindor girl? He knew he was in hot water when, out of everyone there, his most likely ally would be an eleven-year-old girl whose name he didn't even know. Gryffindors had a tendency to stand by their own kind however and he knew he could use all the help he could get.
While Mathias had busied himself making sweet promises, Finnegan had retreated a few feet until his back hit the wall. He gave Meiyu a rather intense look, his eyes briefly, but pointedly landing on hers, then flicking over to Mathias. She would just have to get the hint that he was about to do something to Mathias and that he was going to need her help. Unfortunately, it was impossible to communicate silently what kind of help he needed. She would just have to improvise, if she got the message at all.
"Finn, pretending youāre her boyfriend wonāt change anything. Wearing a scrunchie doesnāt make you important, it just makes you look desperate."
When Mathias' gaze landed back on him, he would see Finn looking low, his head hanging in defeat, staring blankly at the scrunchie on his wrist. With a bit of luck, the fifth-year would think himself victorious, possibly relish in the idea that he'd brought Finn to tears.
In the meantime, Finnegan was trying very hard to think of his dog that had died almost three years ago, willing tears to brim in his eyes. For his plan to stand even a chance at working, he needed Mathias to believe he'd utterly won, he needed to play into the teen's suffocating arrogance. Only then would he have the element of surprise necessary.
"Sure, babe. An empty classroom. Just you and me, like I promised."
His eyes were burning, but he wasn't ready to look up yet. He needed more time, just a bit more time for it to be convincing. He tried to remember how he'd felt hearing the news that car had slammed into his dog, how awful and angry he'd been digging her grave, how unfair it was that her life had been cut short by an inattentive driver...
"Letās get out of here.
He could feel his face getting warm. A blink later the first, hot tear splashed at his feet.
"You donāt need to waste your time with this lot."
Now!
He raised his head, exposing the grief written upon it for all to see. "W-winnie," he sounded pathetic and his face would be exactly the way Mathias liked seeing it. His cheeks were red, his eyes puffy and swollen, his breathing ragged and interrupted by pathetic sniveling. "... d-don't do any-anything," He could only hope that no one there would have the swiftness of mind to consider that phrase particularly odd. Steadying himself, he gripped his wand more firmly with his left hand, still hidden in his kangaroo pocket. He sniveled again and dried his eyes with the sleeve on his right hand. It was an utterly pathetic sight. "I can explain."
The sudden steadiness of his voice was the only warning Mathias Pride got.
He pushed his back of the wall. His wand was out in a flash.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
The spell was incanted nearly perfectly and burst forth from his wand with a bang. His aim was even better and could've hit a pin head from halfway across the classroom.
Unless Mathias Pride possessed even greater evasive abilities, the arrogant, boastful teen was about to discover that he really ought to care more about whose touchy pride he toyed with.
OOC information:
Finnegan casts Petrificus Totalus on Mathias Pride.
WDC: 14
Finn's wisdom roll: [d20:19] + 4 = 23 Success!
Finn's accuracy roll: [d20:20] + 17 = 37 Success!
Because I am not in the discord, I asked Pericles Dralt to do rolls for me in the main HIO Discord for the sake of transparency (so that my rolls can be validated). Proof is in the reducio below:
Reducio
I know Winnie is holding Mathias's waist but Mathias is so tall that there is still plenty of him to hit without hitting Winnie. Even if there wasn't that much to hit, the roll is a natural 20, so his aim is pretty much perfect.
In other words:
Reducio
(Sorry, I had to)
@Winnie Harper, @Mathias Pride, @Meiyu Xiang, @Avis Murlong, @Astra Norrick
Last edited by Finnegan Connor on 11 Dec 2024, 23:44, edited 1 time in total.
"He's a dweeby chocolate bar lip smacking nerd" - Evelynn Decipio