20 Dec 2018, 17:13
Give It Back!
He cleared his throat and coughed quietly and did a subtle raise of his eyebrows when she called herself humble. Yeah, right. If they were to compete about the quantum of their egos, he wouldn't be sure which one was bigger. His or hers? One thing was sure, he'd make a competition even out of that. As long as there was a chance to win, he'd dive right in. He listened to her reasoning about some core values. That was the complete opposite of what the hat had told him. The infamous Sorting Hat just listed some qualities that Remy had and simply boxed him. Remy never really cared for this whole house thing. He firmly believed that people couldn't be boxed this easily. There was something special in everyone, even Dinara Lucey, that could not be categorized just like that. She asked him why he was in Slytherin, and he recited the words he had heard from the Sorting Hat perfectly, proving that that memory was still very fresh in his mind.
"Ah, I see. Much potential, much much potential. You crave success, you're not afraid of competing. You are a faithful friend, not afraid of protecting what is important to you. I think I know where to put you... Slytherin" he almost whispered the latter part and raised his hands in victory. However, his colorless tone and stoic facial expression matched badly with that. Don't get him wrong, he was happy with his emerald green and silver house. Just a bit of a dry person around her.
"In other words, I'm the epitome of perfection," he joked as he curled his hair that was getting a bit long with his index finger. He had been trying to grow it out for a while and it was already reaching where his neck would start. He'd often joke with his friends that he would soon be sporting the same kind of mullet he had seen his gramps wearing in pictures from the '80s.
He watched her spiraling and slipping into her existential crisis as she started wondering why she was a Hufflepuff. He yet had to see any reasons why. Generosity, kindness, modesty? Where was all that, she yet had to prove herself as a worthy Hufflepuff in his eyes. Now she could have worn a red and gold scarf and he'd give her a thumbs-up and okay sign. Suddenly her whole demeanor turned 180 degrees after he had admitted that he enjoyed her company. She was fun to make fun of and he loved to watch her dramatic life from the sides. He only needed popcorn now. Maybe the two of them should go back to the Sorting Hat and consult it further to stick Dinara into the Gryffindor house? There was no way that someone like her was in Hufflepuff. The hat was getting old and yadda yadda, mistakes happen to everyone.
Why'd she smile like that and get closer to him? He started backing up with his hands and legs, pushing himself away from her intimidating aura. He was like the shadows when she was the scorching sun. Look at her for too long and you'd eventually have to turn your head away (or just become blind). He shook his head as she told him he was very much welcome to bask under her light.
"I take it back, you're absolutely terrible and despicable," he yelped as he still kept the book between the two of them to regain some kind of sense of safety. His tone wasn't too serious, he didn't mean the words to be taken exactly as they were. This was his way to say that he was quite embarrassed now. He was a typical Gemini-Cancer cusp. Changed his opinions and personality in the span of seconds while still being moody on top of that! He didn't classify her as a friend just yet. For now, she was unexplored and unexplainable. If he was an android to the girl, Lucey was an alien to him.
Remy wasn't as private as she probably thought he was. He liked to talk, his favorite topic being the notorious Remy Alto, show off and joke around. She wasn't as open as he thought that she would be. It was safe to say that both of them were rather...messy! Especially Remy in the quite literal meaning, not only figuratively. His trunk and room? Two messes. His life? Also one big jumble of multiple messes clumped together and forming a little boy from Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
She turned her head away and Remy could finally put down his copy of the lovely Thaïs. He initially became interested in the book after listening to the opera, especially the piece Meditation. He'd often claim that he hated classical music, but it was a safe haven and made even the emotionless Remy feel a bit touched. It reminded him of the days his grandmother forced him to be all uptight and learn proper ways, etiquette and behavior (guess how well did it work and who had to be sent to a school run by nuns in attempts to calm his energetic soul down).
As she started narrating her fear of insects, he couldn't help but let out a small giggle. It wasn't the most genuine one, there was a mocking tone behind it. How silly, she was afraid of tiny bugs. Remy was very much comfortable with those beings crawling on his skin as long as they were not going to bite him and cause harm. "Exactly. They might be-" he tried to pull a similar face but all he got was just his tongue out. "-but they're still harmless. You don't go blech on people either no matter how hideous they look, right?" he smiled very slightly for a few seconds. It seemed like he could not keep a smile for a long time before going neutral again.
Suddenly, out of nowhere (or that was what he thought), she flicked his forehead. He mouthed 'Ow' and clasped both of his hands on top of where she had flicked him. Vowing inside his head that he'd get revenge when she least expected it one day, he finally removed his hands.
"Careful," he said as he started fixing his hair. His skin bruised easily due to the paleness and he often looked like someone had just beaten the living crap out of him. He also often looked like he had beaten the living crap out of someone. Sometimes his knuckles were all blue due to maybe accidentally hurting himself in some way. Well, he didn't mind that, since it often told people to stay away from him. For now, his skin was in a-ok condition.
He would not answer what subject was hard for him. Nothing was particularly hard in his opinion, or that was just his pride refusing to co-operate and admit that one could not be good at everything. He was just lazy enough to leave everything to the last minute. Procrastination wasn't something he usually did, just with academics. Astronomy was probably the most interesting out of all of the boring classes in his opinion. The worst? Hands down herbology. He was fine with just calling plants...plants. There was nothing useful in going deeper than that in his opinion.
"There are so many things to tell and you chose that? Where do you live? When were you born? Do you have siblings? What are your interests and hobbies? Your favorite color or food? How did you grow up to be so annoying? Only to name a few," he shrugged and pretended that he had not said anything that was wrong in the last part of his sentence.
"I'm not muggle-born, I'm a half-blood. Ma is a half-blood, my dad is a squib. It must have been a pleasant surprise to your family that their daughter is a witch." he pointed out.
Strength - 4 - Agility - 9 - Control - 9 - Stamina - 8
20 Dec 2018, 18:25
Give It Back!
Interaction | @Remy Alto
She watched as the boy recited the Sorting Hat's words. He almost seemed bored at the notion of it all, though Dinara couldn't quite understand why. She'd been quite enchanted by the whole idea of having Houses and being sorted by some sort of an omnipotent Hat -- It's still one of her favourite memories at Hogwarts to date. Choosing not to comment on that, Dinara simply turned her attention away. This in itself was uncharacteristic of her, she'd typically jump on everything and anything that didn't line up in her line of logic. It just happened that with Remy, she learnt not to challenge everything he said. Heck, if she did, they'd be arguing till the sun sets!
The male twirled his hair as he joked about being the 'epitome of perfection'. Stifling a laugh, she nodded with a tight-lipped smile on her face. It'd be clear to any bystander that Dinara Lucey didn't exactly take her new friend's words very seriously at all. In fact, her face would be what people called 'infuriatingly mocking'.
Dinara didn't take too kindly to being called 'terrible and despicable'. A toss of her head sent her curls flying in all directions and she narrowed her eyes at the boy. He may not have been serious about it, but the hot-tempered youth wouldn't let a comment like that about her just slide by beneath her nose! Crossing her hands over her chest, she made it a point to push herself further from him as well. "Pot calling the kettle black. You're not so wonderful yourself, either!" While Dinara's tone was rather scalding, it was clear that the young girl had simply said that to save her own ego. One word to sum Dinara up would be intense; when she's happy, she's happy. When she's mad, she's mad. Luckily, these emotions tended to be fleeting, not unlike a passing thunderstorm, or a brief respite of sun in the midst of rain. One could say that she tended toward the extremes of things. Fortunately, she can be very easily coaxed out of these moods as well.
Her annoyance intensified after Remy had laughed at her for being scared of insects! She found herself rather irritated that she couldn't counter any of his points -- they were all perfectly logical and rational. Her fear of insects weren't justifiable -- but then again, fears don't actually have to be rational, do they?
"They just give me the creeps. Much like how you give me the creeps." A low blow, but Dinara was still mildly infuriated by his comments. Of course, she didn't mean what she had said, but she just felt like wiping that mocking tone off his face. She never claimed to be mature, either. The girl did acknowledge Remy's poor attempt to imitate her facial expression though; she appreciated that he's trying to speak her language even if he was doing so poorly.
"I mean, are you not scared of anything? I don't think fears have to be rational." She frowned at him. Dinara may not know it, but her deepest, darkest fear was indeed rational and fully explainable. That would be an issue for another time, for the lass was too young to be bothering with something so deeply profound.
Watching him fix his hair after the gentle flick of the forehead, Dinara couldn't help but let out a rather scornful 'tsk'. Back in her town, the children had somehow mastered the art of finger flicking -- Their flick were hard enough to leave definite marks on even the toughest of skin. Dinara herself had been the victim to particularly dark bruises on her forehead that she had to cover with hats and such, so to her, Remy was simply being dramatic. It was odd, how someone could be so aggressive and confrontational yet at the same time so seemingly fragile.
Facing the barrage of questions that he'd thrown at her, she initially pretended not to notice his dig at her, either. "I didn't think those were very surprising nor interesting at all! I'm surprised you would want to hear about those," she raised an eyebrow at the boy, her lips pursed as she prepared to speak. "Well. I was born and raised in the town of Grange-over-Sands with my 2 siblings. One older brother, our beloved golden child; and one younger sister, who's still young and hogs the attention of my parents the whole day."
She hadn't mean to let slip of her emotions, but a tinge of sadness found its way in her eyes. Her expression had also morphed from her usual jolly one (or that of annoyance around Remy) to one that was much more melancholic -- something that made her seem much more vulnerable than she usually was. This wasn't to say that Dinara is a disingenuous person; everything that she says or does all come through with the purest of intentions from her heart. However, she hardly ever talks or explores the negative spectrum of her being. Whatever you don't know won't hurt you, and whatever you don't acknowledge doesn't exist. In time to come, Dinara will realise that this mantra that she subconsciously followed was very much unreliable and untrue.
For now, she continued to answer the boy's questions. "Back in town we usually played tag and climbed trees. We had this really, really cool game called Tree Tag! We'd often go to someone's house, and sing loudly in their basements till their parents came to chase us out." At this point, the melancholic look on her face had been replaced with wistfulness as Dinara reminisced about the days long past. She quite missed her town and all her friends.
"I like yellow, so perhaps that's why the Hat had put me in Hufflepuff," a small smile played on her lips as she joked, though her eyes will still somewhat distant and missing the lively spark of energy they usually held. "What else is there... My favourite food... That's difficult to choose. I love to eat! And last but not least, I'm pretty sure I only 'got so annoying' after I met you. Or rather, it's only with you that I'm 'so annoying'." Lifting her hands up to make air quotes, she rolled her eyes before staring straight at the boy.
"I've said enough about me. It's kind of frustrating not being able to really understand you. You're... You're like a Rubik's Cube! I can never solve one of them!" Dinara burst out with her refreshing honesty yet again. She'd been holding back directly confronting the boy for fear of seeming stupid, but Dinara's curiosity (and sheer honesty) was something that could never be contained for long. "So... What about you? What's a... Squid?"
Her confusion and lack of knowledge of the Wizarding World was evident, though one could hardly blame the Muggle-born for not knowing what a squib was. She chose not to talk about her parent's reaction to her being a witch -- It had hardly come as a 'pleasant' surprise to them. Again, she'd chose to stick to her mantra. Whatever you don't know won't hurt you, and whatever you don't acknowledge doesn't exist. It's much better for Dinara to not willingly plunge into a topic that she knows is her Achilles' Heel.
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8
20 Dec 2018, 19:36
Give It Back!
Oh boy, this time he had really pushed her buttons. He did find the ways she reacted a bit funny. Better than any questions that he had asked, this was his way of getting know to the girl. He was testing the limits, what was she okay with being joked about and what was out of the limits? After all, she was a somewhat-friend and a somewhat-foe. If she was a friend, he would not go there anymore. If a foe, he'd exploit these weak points that he had learned about her in this conversation.
He did not comment on himself being not that wonderful either. It wasn't like he didn't know. But living by being someone 'wonderful' was a very boring life to him indeed. He liked the way he was living right now, he'd find fun anywhere and from anyone. Everyone got something to offer to Remy Alto. For the better or worse, Dinara was a mystery that kept offering something to learn to him. He'd continue pestering her until he felt that he knew enough. Maybe then he'd classify her as boring and would dump her. Or by then she'd know too much about him too and he'd just have to stuck with her.
He thought about his fears for a while, digging in his head. It as only fair that he revealed something in exchange for her revealing her fears. "I'm afraid of flying and heights to a certain level. At least those are somewhat rational fears compared to bugs. I start feeling dizzy," he tried to distance himself from the fear by claiming that they were rational fears. Maybe after watching too many people fall from their brooms and be sent to the hospital wing was what made him feel like the soaring heights were not for him.
A creep? Well, he was capable of doing some scary and chilling things. But him, a creep? Not necessarily, he wouldn't classify himself as such for sure. Well, maybe he was a little bit creepy.
"Well, I think that those are very basic things to know about people and build a relationship on. If I don't know the boring parts of you, it's pointless," he shrugged lightly but visibly enough for her to see if she wanted to. He listened to her, trying to memorize every piece of trivia she gave out. He couldn't help but get stuck in her comment about her siblings. There was something that really struck him as familiar. Remy wasn't in a much better situation either. He had six brothers that all had their talents. He didn't have any specific talent that would set him apart from the rest. His little sister was the youngest and the only girl, attention was given to her. He'd often have to live in the shadow of his sibling, and he didn't think that he should have minded it as much as he did. Remy would often seek attention from elsewhere, he became the comedian around his friends and picked on weaker people. He had a certain reputation already.
He noted her expression and mirrored it once again. He was glad that he asked about that. It made him feel like she trusted him enough to say it, even if it subconsciously slipped. He liked the idea of being trusted. His new friendships would rarely last for long or were not that deep. Most of the friends he had were friends from early childhood that knew that the surface Remy wasn't necessarily the real one or the one he was most comfortable with showing. Once all of those were left in Brazil, he did feel a bit lonely for a while. No one ever stuck around for a long while.
He listened as she told him about her little adventures and games she liked to play back at home. They were much more creative than what Remy liked to do. The only neighbor they had was an old Irish man, so she didn't really play with anyone in the neighborhood. Instead, he'd sit around in his room and play the guitar. Jam sessions made him feel a bit less lonely. His parents insisted that his seven playmates were just below his nose, six boys and a girl! But only two of them were around his age and would much rather hang out together. Besides, Milo and René had very different interests compared to him.
"Oh, so I bring the worst out of you?" Remy tilted his head with curiosity. He didn't know he had the power over other people like that. Maybe they should stop spending time around each other if they saw each other as an eyesore. When he thought about it more deeply, he found that he resisted the idea. He didn't want to stop irritating her, she had lots of interesting ideas and knew about things that he didn't. Maybe if he tried to be a bit nicer to her, she wouldn't run away. Making a mental decision to maybe not tease her so aggressively anymore, he sat up more straight and leaned forward to show his interest. Occasionally, he nodded at every word she said to signal that he was still listening.
"That's wrong, you're the mystery in here, not me. Why do you think that I tolera- err, I mean hang out with you? You're interesting and I want to learn more. I have a rather simple system working in here," Remy tapped his temple and mentioned a fleeting compliment. Was it a compliment to call someone interesting? Would that make her feel too weird? He waited for her reaction to his words cautiously, licking the corners of his mouth once again. It was a habit just like her nose scrunching was.
It didn't come as a surprise that she did not know what a squib was. That was quite alright, he didn't know exactly everything that had to do with the wizarding world either. "Squibs are non-magical folk that are born to at least one parent of magical heritage. Dad had a wizard father and a muggle mom. All muggle-borns are descended from squibs. Some people aren't that keen on squibs. My mom's mom was a pureblood and really hated the idea of my mom marrying a squib despite marrying a muggle-born wizard herself." his voice got quiet towards the end as he frowned. That did not make any sense! Grandma was weird. Perhaps all that mattered to her was that the person was magical, no matter what blood status?
"But don't worry, that's an old way of viewing things. If someone comments on you being muggle-born with an ill tone, just deck them in the face or tell me to do so," he shrugged once again and closed his eyes as he relaxed. Being nice surely was tiring...
Strength - 4 - Agility - 9 - Control - 9 - Stamina - 8
21 Dec 2018, 04:55
Give It Back!
Interactions | @Remy Alto
The flare of anger disappeared as fast as it had arrived. A momentary spark that had fizzled out quickly, quickly appeased by the boy's attentiveness as she spoke. To Dinara, having someone who'd willingly listen to her talk and be interested in hearing what she had to say was one of the biggest compliments that someone could give her. It meant that they valued her and that they cared enough about her to pay attention to her -- something she felt like she sorely lacked in her family.
The boy's fear of heights came as a surprise to her. In the Muggle-world, brooms were a mere cleaning tool. Here, they were objects with boundless possibilities -- and the girl was ready to explore all the different possibilities that flying could offer her. Maybe she would even try that Quidditch (Quiddish?) thing that people liked to talk about so often! Pulling apart a tuft her leaves and peering down, she watched the few older students who had been flying around the distant Quidditch Pitch. Pulling the leaves further apart, she motioned for the boy to watch with her. "Maybe you should start slow. We could fly together sometime if you'd like. It can be pretty fun!"
The playful glimmer in the girl's eyes was back, and Dinara was determined that it'd be here to stay. Talking about sad family things wasn't really her thing. Being happy and all was much more up her alley. It's also especially flattering to know that the enigma (who later on revealed that she was a mystery to him, too) found her interesting. She figured she should give him something to be interested about, then. Dinara had many things that she enjoyed doing in the privacy of her dorm room -- Things she thought people may consider 'uncool'. It'd be an absolute disaster if anyone found out that Dinara did anything that could be considered vaguely 'uncool'! Yet, she supposed it'd be okay if she revealed a little more to Remy... Right?
Perhaps Dinara was sorted into Hufflepuff on the merit that she was rather trusting. As loud and as prideful the young girl was, she was ultimately just a young girl who was unsure of her position in the world. In time to come, she'd grow to learn more about herself. This small crack in the wall that she had unknowingly put up would be the start of her learning more about herself; more so than Remy would be learning about her. Besides, he mentioned something about knowing even the boring parts about her, so why not?
"I, uh. I've not told anyone this before, but you have to promise to not laugh." She squinted at him, not really in a threatening manner at all; it showed her hesitation more than anything else. "...I really like to knit. And to crochet. And to sew little designs." The little voice that escaped the girl was shaky and she hated sounding so weak. Squeezing her eyes tight for a moment, she took in a deep breath before regaining her composure, meeting the boy's curious eyes with an unflinching gaze of her own. The least she could do was to reassert her position after that little show of weakness, right?
At his question, Dinara drew back and shook her head ever-so-slightly. It was bold for the boy to assume that he brought out the worst in her; she imagined it'd genuinely take a lot before the worst in her was drawn out. "No, that wasn't what I meant. It's fun being around you but I guess I just... Don't understand you? The words alone may seem unfriendly, but Dinara's tone implied otherwise. Her eyes twinkled as she said that and she looked up at the boy. "I mean, it's not every day that I meet someone who makes me want to tear my hair out but makes me enjoy the process too.
Tapping her chin thoughtfully, she drew out her sunflower patterned handkerchief with a flourish after she had observed the boy licking the corners of his mouth. Maybe he had some leftover food on his mouth from breakfast or something. "Here. If you've something on your mouth you could just wipe it. Don't have to resort to using your tongue y'know?" Her voice had suddenly reverted back to its normal jovial tone (also it's usual volume), something that had been so sorely lacking in their exchange thus far.
Dinara scooted back closer towards the boy as he started to explain what exactly a 'squid' was. She listened attentively -- tales of the Wizarding World had always and will continue to intrigue the Muggle-born. It seemed as though there was some kind of divide between the blood status; Dinara didn't quite understand it, and from the way the boy's voice had quietened she assumed that he didn't understand either. Did a person's birth status matter that much?
Her bright smile was back after the boy's seemingly nonchalant offer to 'deck someone in the face' for her. Grinning, she nodded enthusiastically. "I'll take you up on that offer. I doubt anyone would dare to say that to me, though." Dinara scrunched up her nose once again. She'd figured it'd be nice to return the favour to him, too. "Well, if anyone dares to make fun of you, you can call on me to rampage on them too!" Pumping her fist up in her air energetically, Dinara saw the boy close his eyes, resting his head against the thick tree trunk that supported his back.
She hadn't noticed before this, but he seemed to suddenly take a turn for the nicer. Dinara had initially thought that Remy's attitude changing for the better would be pleasant, yet it seemed... Off, somehow. It was weird, not hearing the boy's teasing remarks or his witty comebacks. She wondered if the boy was running a temperature or something. Her small hand flew up to her forehead, checking her own temperature as a point of comparison before she placed it over his, making sure that he wasn't desperately ill or anything. Odd, his temperature seemed normal, if not a little colder than usual. "Why are you so... Nice all of a sudden? Did your hard disk malfunction?" She chuckled at her little own inside joke. "Give Remy back! This nice thing doesn't seem normal." Cocking her head at him curiously, her gaze found it's way back to the boy's own as she watched him carefully for any other signs of oddity or irregularity.
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8
21 Dec 2018, 10:44
Give It Back!
Remy was honestly surprised that she seemed so nonchalant about what he had done earlier. He had insulted her, shoved her and done other things that weren't exactly categorized as fun and nice. She seemed just as beaming and full of sunshine and life like before in a matter of seconds. Maybe she could sense his abrupt change of attitude and accommodated to it? Truly peculiar, this lady. When she offered to fly with him sometime, he immediately shook his head. Never in a thousand years would he even look at a broom. At least fear of flying on a broom was rational. Besides, wasn't the fear of heights one of the most common fears?
"I really can't," he muttered, eyebrows knitting closer together. Remy had many both masculine and feminine traits to him. Sharp eyes and brows, a low voice and taller than most. His facial features might have been sharp, but his body was fragile and delicate. He was slender, some might say lanky, sickly pale. He was very aggressive and dive-head-first-think-later. Somehow, he still was sensitive and affectionate at the same time. There were many things in Remy that contradicted each other. He liked to think that he was wholesome because of that (or that was his ego just playing around again). Everything in him had something else to balance it out.
He watched the glimmer return to her eyes slowly but surely. What was she thinking about now? What was she going to do next that would probably make him lose his balance and fall off the branch to the inviting, powdery snow? She seemed a bit unsure to tell the next bits to him. Remy felt like one of those therap-, psycop-, no definitely not that. Therapists! That listened to people telling about their insecurities and thoughts. This time he was the one laying on their make-shift couch though.
It did come as a surprise that she enjoyed knitting and such activities. He always linked things like that with old, lonely grandmothers that had nothing better to do. Gotta keep those motoric skills up somehow after all! He had thought that she was one of those people that thought of the physical education class as the Olympics. Remy was never one of those people, even with his competitiveness. He'd often sit on the bench and doze off while everyone else was busy running. Competitiveness was once again fun when no one was trying to shove it down his throat. Besides, football and baseball were the only sports ever to intrigue him. In the winter, he'd often go ice-skating. That was fun, watching the rest of his family miserably fail and fall on their faces was top entertainment. The rest were kind of...meh.
"Well? Are you good at those things?" he asked with some curiosity. He imagined that this was her calmer side then. She'd monkey around outside but relax with her needles and balls of yarn or whatever. He didn't laugh at all, even if he couldn't really imagine her with a needle. Didn't that take lots of concentration? There were certain patterns, and if you messed it up, it was over for your work! Besides, unless you were a master, those processes would take lots of time. Remy truly didn't know anything about this girl. Not the amount of patience and focus she had, nor her interests. He'd just have to stick around for a little longer to find out.
She sounded very wary about telling these to him. Maybe she was afraid of him being mean and teasing her interests. Albeit he felt tempted, he resisted the temptation and chose to be nice for once. He didn't want to upset her anymore. He had tested her patience many times this day already. He wouldn't get anything out of her that way. Remy opened his eyes slowly, looking at her squinted eyes. He narrowed his eyes too in response as if he was taking a challenge she just threw at him. Bring it on. He did feel flattered that he was the first one to hear about her interests though. She must have had many friends that were very close to her. He got that kind of a vibe from her, no matter how annoying she was. Why had she trusted the person who she should trust the least in theory?
"Yes well, I guess you haven't met people like me," Remy looked at the Quidditch pitch, the rings looked like they were far away, but still visible. He felt shivers go down his spine not because of the cold, but seeing older students on their brooms, flying with such ease. A bunch of idiots for sure to enjoy such activities! He was surprised to hear as she told him indirectly that she enjoyed being in his presence too. Well, ripping her hair off and enjoying the process.
"You give me the shivers," he still had his eyes narrowed. He'd never stop blabbering about how she was a weirdo to a maximum.
She suddenly offered a handkerchief to him. He raised his brows in confusion. What was this pattern? It was somehow very fitting to her personality and demeanor. "Oh, there's nothing in there. It's just a habit I do when I'm either paying attention or nervous. Just like you-" he scrunched his nose, trying to mimic her bunny action. Remy had many habits that he displayed with his body language. Subtly licking the corners of his mouth was just one. He refused the handkerchief, pushing back towards her own body.
"I doubt I'll need your help in decking someone in the face, but thank you for the offer," he shrugged just as nonchalantly as he could. Remy wasn't the one to start a fight just like that, but if someone really pissed him or one of his mates off? He'd definitely start quarreling anywhere and anytime. It was not a virtue to be so quarrelsome and rejecting peace. But what could he do? He didn't have much control over his sudden impulses. Remy fought often, to everyone's dismay. He had an irritating personality and his own patience was so short, he just couldn't help but tackling someone in the ground once in a while.
It was at this point that he realized how loud she was. His ears were very used to loud sounds for sure, he didn't mind that much. Remy would often play his (mom's) electric guitar in the loudest volume in a small room and the only person who was disturbed was their poor neighbor! As he traveled back to Londonderry, spacing out once again, he suddenly felt a very warm hand on his forehead. He was taken aback once again. How dare she use dirty techniques like that to ambush him! Coward, no wonder Gryffindor didn't accept her.
Well, he was embarrassed by how he had lightly gasped again. He sat there, not moving at all, looking at her eyes. He could almost see his own reflection in them. He looked pretty ridiculous. "If you stop your surprise attacks, maybe I'll have enough time to reboot," he finally said after she removed her hand.
"Oh, I made a conscious choice to be nice to you since you seem so sensitive when it comes to my words. Who knows, maybe you care about how I see you. If you like the less-nice mean me, I'd be happy to summon him BACK!" and with that, he sat up and flicked her forehead. Now he had calmed his vengeful soul down and could finally lay in peace.
Strength - 4 - Agility - 9 - Control - 9 - Stamina - 8
21 Dec 2018, 13:49
Give It Back!
Interactions | @Remy Alto
Nodding her head slowly, her eyes remained fixated on the Quidditch players. She wondered why the boy was so stubbornly against the mere thought of flying -- Did he perhaps have a poor experience with it? "Have you tried it before? Did something happen that made you so against the idea of flying?" Her voice unusually calm, Dinara chewed on her lip as she contemplated how someone could be so against the idea of such an interesting activity.
Shaking her folded handkerchief out, she gestured towards the small initial's that had been neatly embroidered at the bottom right corner of it. It was a simple embroidery, but it still looked considerably pretty -- the bright yellow of the embroidered text complemented the sunflowers and stood out against the pale yellow of the cloth. The stitches weren't perfect, but they were still remarkably well-done given the small size of the overall composition.
"It's not exactly fair for me to be the judge of my own work. This -" she gestured towards the embroidered text on her handkerchief. "-was the result of my very first attempt at picking up the needle. " Talking about this secretive hobby of hers was much more liberating than she thought it'd be. Remy, surprisingly, hadn't any smart comments to mock her unusual hobby. With her confidence bolstered, she started to open up more about this passion of hers. "I have many more of these back in my dorm room! I have loads of little wooly sweaters that I knit for my soft-" Dinara suddenly halted mid-speech. She wasn't about to let out another embarrassing secret again! She was more than confident that if he'd found about about her collection of stuffed toys, she'd never hear the end of his teasing.
In a poor attempt to cover her slip-up, she coughed lightly before continuing. "I mean, I knit a bunch of things too. For... No particular reason." Dinara had found the activity to be something that she quite enjoyed -- being able to focus fully on a task and zone the rest of the world out and getting the objective accomplished in record time. It was funny how crafts and sports seemed to be so different, yet they were both activities that Dinara immensely enjoyed as an incredibly goal-driven person.
As much as the boy in front of her had a good balance of both feminine and masculine traits, at the current moment, Dinara possessed more masculine traits than feminine ones. In spite of her appearance, which many adults would describe as 'cute' or 'angelic'; she was far from what most of her peers would consider 'pretty'. It didn't help that Dinara didn't exactly take an interest in being pretty either -- be it with her words or with her actions or with her appearance! Plus, her straightforwardness and her competitive nature naturally had her gravitate towards playing with the boys more often -- With girls, Dinara could never quite be as rowdy as she'd like to be for fear of offending someone or hurting someone's feelings.
His comment about her giving him the shivers had not passed by without a reaction from Dinara. Sticking her tongue out at him, she mocked the boy's words as she mimed out herself pretending to freeze; rubbing her arms and even throwing in a convincing fake sneeze. "You give me the shivers too. It's probably how cold you are."
Dinara raised her eyebrows at the male who had pulled an expression that was not unlike a bunny's. She vaguely recognized it as her own -- it seemed to be an expression that she subconsciously pulled pretty often when she needed time to process how to react.
The boy's statement about not needing her help in 'decking' someone was met with a simple dismissive wave of Dinara's hand. She didn't think anyone would think of her as a serious fighter, nor could she claim that she was anyway advantaged in a physical tussle. For all her feats of athleticism, Dinara's small size was still a hard limiter on what she could and could not do, particularly in a physical fight. She didn't doubt that the boy could more than hold his own, though, his height seemed to be a pretty good physical advantage from the get-go already.
He didn't seem to be appreciative of her concern. Crossing her arms indignantly, she made it a point to sit upright as she spoke. "It was hardly a surprise attack. I was just checking to see if you had a fever! It didn't seem normal for you to be so nice out of nowhere." She leaned back as his fingers flicked her forehead, but a scoff escaped her lips after he leaned back down, seeming satisfied. The nerve of him to assume that she cared about how he viewed her! Well... Not that he was wrong, it's just that Dinara Lucey would never want to admit that to the boy.
Readjusting her position and propping herself comfortably on her stomach, Dinara lay with her cheek firmly pressed against her hands which were flattened against the broad branch. "You can be whatever you want around me, I'd much rather see the real Rem than one who's personality is put on just to avoid hurting my feelings. I assure you that I'm just expressive, nothing more!" In her refute, the nickname for the boy had just slipped past her lips -- something that she immediately kicked herself for. Nicknames were for people she was fond of, and she definitely was not fond of this boy, even though she considered him a friend. He was definitely just a neutral friend... Or was he? Dinara herself wasn't quite sure why she'd felt so confused towards the boy even after knowing that much more about him. Granted, she still didn't know him very well, but it's not typical for her to be so undecided about a person even after so many interactions.
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8
21 Dec 2018, 15:17
Give It Back!
He had to search for a reason for a while. He couldn't really pin this one moment that would make flying impossible to him. Remy put his thinking face on, licking the corner of his lips again. There were multiple reasons why no one should fly, and he was not about to state them all here and now. He was a busy person. Busy enough to seemingly have time to read books and argue with people that were less than his own size. "I have just come to the conclusion that no one sane should fly," he stated in an all-knowing voice. All those injuries and stories about what has happened to people while they were flying were not so fun to listen to. Besides, he had seen quite the injuries himself. His fear of flying probably related someway to his general fear of heights. He felt dizzy and like he was going to faint when he was looking down from some high place. Flying many kilometers an hour in the air while soaring through those heights wasn't a good idea to Remy.
She folded the handkerchief and he took a closer look at it. It kept surprising him that she apparently was good at making these intricate details while retaining her large and boisterous personality. She was messy yet so refined? And he thought that he often contradicted his own traits! He didn't comment on her work just yet, but you could see from his gestures that he was content with her work. Nodding slowly, he approved of her work. He wondered what else she could do, and she practically revealed some bits and pieces to him already.
He wasn't really fooled with her poor cover-up. Remy was observant enough to notice her hesitation. She liked to knit sweaters, and? "Little sweaters?" he asked for a follow-up from her. He thought that she must have had some kind of an animal, perhaps one of those cats some students had. Eventually, he gave up as she told him that she did it for nothing or no one particular. What a waste! Perhaps she was just practicing. Practice makes perfect, that was something Remy often heard. He had the patience and attention span of a toddler, so he could never succeed in the same things as Dinara did. He wouldn't dare to mock her work, it was admirable.
She seemed to have a creative streak too, even if hers was much different from his. Remy's only creativity would come out as music, maybe writing poems sometimes and pass it off as lyrics. He would never, evertell her that he liked to write poems, he found it a hobby that was too embarrassing to be told to others. Maybe one day after she had proved her trustworthiness to him and he'd bring his last defensive walls down. It would be a long process, but with Dinara, it all seemed to speed up remarkably. She told him things that she had never told anyone else, and he'd do the same in return one day.
She started her theatrical performances again, rubbing her arms and hands like she was going to freeze any moment now. He watched her make a fake sneeze and scoffed. "I am not cold, I'm far from cold!" he insisted that she was wrong. There was lots of passion in him, he wasn't just a cold shell. Enough for him to share it with others! Dinara should just wait to see him angered if she wanted to see 'cold'. Watching her flail her arms carelessly, he clicked his tongue. She didn't look like a person who had actually fought someone before. Let's just say that all-boys schools were wild...
"Are you implying that I'm not usually n- you know what? Never mind," he crossed his arms over his chest to signal his defensiveness again. What was there to be nice about? If she didn't like it, fine. He'd just be a worse version of himself around her. Somehow she seemed to like his attentiveness but flicked him on the forehead for doing so? He didn't understand what these odd creatures called girls wanted!
He lifted a brow, just like he usually did, and questioned her new nickname for him. Rem? He could swear that had something to do with sleep. Rapid eye movement? He couldn't quite remember the meaning. He was surprised she used a nickname with him. He thought those things were reserved for people close to you. Friends, family, lovers only, not mere acquaintances and less-so rivals. If rivals had nicknames, they were usually a bit insulting, weren't they? Maybe she was just as confused about their status. He still hadn't made up his mind. Maybe they'd forever stay in this awkward state? Perhaps she had simply followed his suit, he did call her 'Miss pretty sunshine doll' or something of the likes of that before.
She plopped on her stomach and Remy instinctively moved a bit further away, crossing his right leg over his right one. Everything about his body language was almost always closed. "If you're going to give me a nickname, give me a legitimate one," he tilted his head slightly. Licking the corner of his mouth in thought, he finally came up with one.
"For example, gato. Or if you want to be very affectionate with me, gatinho will do well too. It means cat, people tell me I'm cat-like sometimes," he proposed a nickname from his childhood. Albeit it did literally mean cat, it had a double meaning of 'good-looking guy'. Of course, that would feed his ego and he would probably laugh every time she called him that.
"Dinara is awfully long too. Do you have any nicknames or you're fine with doll from before?" he tugged the left corner of his mouth upwards. Remy smirked at the idea of his insulting nickname for her from before too. Some people said he sounded like some creepy old grandpa, calling people doll or missy. Did he care? Not really!
Strength - 4 - Agility - 9 - Control - 9 - Stamina - 8
22 Dec 2018, 17:35
Give It Back!
Interactions | @Remy Alto
The girl threw him a sideways glance, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Her mother had once scolded her for rolling her eyes with the threat that if she kept rolling her eyes, her eyes might just one day get stuck and she wouldn't be able to see right ever again. This logic, while very obviously flawed, seemed perfectly reasonable to young Dinara, and it has stuck with her ever since.
Still lying comfortably on her stomach, her mane of curls pooling out on the branch. "You've not even tried it yet!" Her gaze suddenly sharpened as she propped herself up on her elbows. "How about we both try to get over our fears. My fear of insects -" She shuddered at the thought of having to confront the ugly creatures, but continued after the momentary pause. " - and your fear of insects. First one to get over it is the winner!"
She stuck out her tongue, knowing full well that he wouldn't turn down the challenge. At least, if his pride and competitive spirit were anywhere like hers, he wouldn't. Thinking about it, she wasn't quite sure why she was scared of insects. They didn't actually harm her or anything, they just looked... Gross.
Dinara was fully aware that she was sharing quite a few things about herself with him. This wasn't atypical for the girl -- the social butterfly didn't usually hide much from the people around him, be it friend or foe. Probably not the smartest thing to do; but hey, the girl was young. Even if the boy used these pieces of information against her, Dinara wouldn't think too badly of it either. There's no point to having regrets in life, is there?
Remy's further clarification about Dinara's small slip-up from earlier only incited a quick wave of the hand from her. "Heh. I meant... Finger sweaters! Little sweaters you can put on your fingers!" She was glad that her head was pressed agaisnt and leaning sideways, away from the young boy so that he couldn't see her sheepish smile -- something that always gave her away when she tried to lie.
She listened to the boy protest about not being cold, though Dinara disregarded his words with nothing more than a mere bat of the eye. Not many other students were anywhere near as passionate nor intense as the little ball of fire was. Even if the boy showed more than what she had seen of him (which, very frankly, wasn't much), she still wouldn't consider him passionate by any means! It'd take alot for Dinara Lucey to consider someone else apart from herself as dramatic.
Of course Remy would've noticed the little nickname that had unwittingly slipped out of Dinara's mouth. That was one of the bigger issues that came with her and her lack of a brain filter -- things that she didn't mean to say would often just slip out like that. Letting out a little huff of air, she lazily tilted her head towards the boy as she considered his proposed nickname. She had already felt rather defensive due to his statement. The original nickname that had escaped was perfectly legitimate! At least by Dinara's standards they were.
Meanwhile, Gato? It didn't seem to fit him very well! If it were up to Dinara, she'd have nicknamed him something along the lines of 'Mimi'. The young girl has always had a tendency towards cuter things though she would never admit it to anyone. Besides, the boy didn't deserve anything anywhere remotely as cute!
"What's a gato? Gatinho? Aren't you more of a... Galto?" Snickering at her own (admittedly badly made) pun, she turned to lie on her back, her eyelids starting to feel slightly heavy. Remy was right, the tree did make for quite a comfortable hideout in such cold weather. It didn't help that the girl was only dressed in a thin sweater and her scarf as she didn't expect to be out for such a long time -- the cold was starting to numb her senses. She had left her robes back in the Common Room to save herself a seat, though in retrospect that was a prime case of poor foresight.
Her eyelids drooping and her body numb from cold, Dinara's surprise barely registered on her face apart from a flicker of her eyelids before she forced them open to look at the boy. He was looking to nickname her, too? She hadn't intentionally meant to nickname him; Dinara only ever nicknamed people she was fond of. Although that statement in itself didn't exactly qualify much; Dinara was pretty much fond of most people as long as they were reasonably nice. It wasn't difficult to earn the girl's affections as long as they didn't mind her sharpshooting mouth!
It was a bad time for Remy to ask Dinara such a question. In her half asleep state, she could barely think of anything in particular! "I guess you can call me whatever you want. I'm not too fussy." The girl's voice droned off as she dozed off, little puffs of cold air escaping from her lips.
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8
22 Dec 2018, 18:11
Give It Back!
He immediately looked away when she glanced at him. Only afterward did he realize that he had shown a sign of nervousness and submission. He was avoiding her eyes despite just a few minutes earlier intensely trying to win every little staring competition they had. In his mind, he twisted some kind of an excuse. If he'd stare for too long, maybe she'd find out something he didn't want her to see. Eyes were the windows to the soul, weren't they? Well, if Remy even had a soul to begin with.
He crossed his arms as she propped herself up with her elbows. What now? She presented him with the interesting idea of a competition. Remy perked up and listened very carefully to every syllable she dropped from her lips. She made it seem like she had her ways with words and persuasion. Leaning back to think of her proposition, he frowned very lightly. He didn't bother to ponder the pros and cons of this offer. As long as there was a chance that he'd win, he was in! With a bit of hesitation in his body language, he finally gave in. "I'm not afraid of insects, but I see what you mean. Fine, you've got yourself a deal," he clicked his tongue in the end to show how he was aware of what she was trying to do. She knew him too well already. When she stuck his tongue, he did the same in response.
She really seemed to love to flail her arms and wave them up and down to give him some kind of social cues. He couldn't help but smile at it a bit. She was somehow very big with her theatrical plays, big personality and movements. Remy might be tall, but he was quite passive compared to her. As much as he loved prancing around and being loud himself, he was content with being in the corner, reading in the darkness too. Everyone needed time to wind down, he wasn't sure if this was even vaguely aware of the concept of relaxation and quiet time. If she did, she didn't seem like that at all.
"Finger sweaters? Thought they were called gloves. Appears that I was wrong," he couldn't detect her lie this time due to not looking at her eyes as she spoke to him. Remy was pretty good at detecting others' crap. Why? He liked to spin a little white lie himself too and often caught himself doing certain mannerisms as he did. When he was lying, he'd intensely look people in the eyes and spoke in a more deeper tone. It didn't differ much from his usual way of speaking, so people who didn't know him that well didn't know what was going on for most of the time. He'd exploit and take advantage of that. The moment people caught on, he'd quickly dump them and run away from the consequences of being confronted (unless they had a face that was really deck-able).
Remy being the manly masculine superman he was (read as liked to think he was), he hated anything even remotely cute. Especially pastel colors made him gag every time he saw them. Cute patterns, characters, little trinkets. He hated them all with his fiery passion! Cute nicknames weren't exempt from his list of 'things I hate'. If she would dare to give him a cute nickname, he would probably look at her with his biggest face of disgust.
It took him a few seconds to get the pun. His real full name was a bit of a pun. Alto meant 'high' or 'tall' in Portuguese. It felt like his parents just pulled the biggest joke, his name being the target. Of course, they wouldn't know that their son would tower over many people his age, but it was cruel in his opinion nonetheless. He could have been Remy Chen, but his parents for some reason decided to go with mom's surname. Maybe they really hated dad being a squib. Odd.
After she had snickered at her really bad joke for a while, he noticed she was getting all droopy and tired. There was something very calming about the cold, he could not blame her at all. And Remy had thought that warmth made people tired, that was why some people clutched onto others when they were asleep, they were looking for warmth! The boy had been feeling very sleepy for a while too. It was his discomfort with being around her. If he'd fall asleep around her, he'd probably wake up in some weird condition. After all, people were very vulnerable when they were asleep. She probably would have sacrificed him to the squid or something. However, her tired aura was very contagious. He couldn't help but feel his eyelids get heavy too. Leaning against the tree trunk, he felt like he was going to lose his grasp to this world too.
"Fine then...I'll just call you noodlehead or something.........By the way, you're dumb..." his voice was barely audible as he dozed off.
Strength - 4 - Agility - 9 - Control - 9 - Stamina - 8
23 Dec 2018, 15:42
Give It Back!
Interactions | @Remy Alto
The thick foliage of leaves that had been shielding the two children from the public eye was suddenly punctured by a seemingly lifeless mass... Or not. The 'lifeless mass' that was Dinara Lucey awoke with a start, the falling sensation that often jolted her awake in the middle of a dream was, all of a sudden, very real.
As she fell, Dinara realised that she never quite regarded just exactly how high the damned tree was. Mid-fall, her fear had actually been replaced with boredom -- the girl just wanted to fall and get it over and done with!
This thought of hers soon after turned to regret as the ground seemed to grow nearer and nearer. Bracing herself for impact, Dinara tried her best to break the fall as gently as she could. Tucking her head safely in her arms, she bent her legs, bracing for impact. The soles of her feets pushed off against the powdery snow as she landed, not provided as much force as Dinara would've hoped. While this did help to roll out of the majority of the impact that would've no doubt resulted in more serious injuries, she couldn't help but let out a cry of pain as her wrist twisted at an awkward angle while she rolled forward.
The poor choice of outfit had come back to haunt her, now more than ever. Sitting rather pathetically with the powdery snow sticking to her everything, Dinara let out a small sniff, a small tear escaping her eye.
"I'm absolutely RUINED! I still have about a thousand pairs of socks and gloves to knit for Christmas and NOW I CAN'T!"
Dinara's voice, which was already typically loud enough to deafen someone with sensitive ears, had intensified in her state of misery and panic. Her distress was caused not so much by the pain in her throbbing wrist which had begun to swell, but more because of the creeping feeling of disappointment and worry that had just smacked her straight in the face. Disappointment in herself, yes, but also the worry that her friends and family would be disappointed in her and not receiving their gifts in time.
Gingerly sliding her injured wrist (which was also yet another stroke of bad luck -- it was her dominant hand) out of the sweater's sleeves, Dinara winced as she saw the damage that had been done. Her right wrist had just about swollen to twice it's original size; and while the sharp shooting pain had just about subsided to a dull throb, she knew that this wasn't just a minor sprain of her wrist. It could potentially take weeks for it to heal, and Dinara didn't have weeks before she'll have to send out the owls bearing her different gifts!
Although the wrist injury didn't mean that Dinara would have to halt her gift-making completely, it definitely would exponentially slow down the process. The girl definitely exaggerated in her earlier outcry, but it was also true that she did have a fair bit to complete by Christmas which was only about a week away!
In her panic, the presence of the sleeping boy on the tree had completely slipped her mind. Feeling rather sorry for herself, Dinara sat numbly on the cold snow. Her body warmth had caused the patch of snow on which she had been sitting on to melt, patches of water seeping through her thin leggings. Shivering, Dinara attempted to push herself off the ground and haul herself to the safety and privacy of her dormitory before anyone else caught her in this pathetic state. There was no way in Hogwarts' name that Dinara would ever go to the Hospital Wing! She's heard about the weird experiences of crying students in there and she wasn't exactly sure that was a condusive environment for her to recover in.
...She couldn't. While it wasn't quite as serious as her wrist, it seemed as though her left ankle had twisted as well, presumably when she kicked off the ground in an attempt to generate momentum to reduce the fall's impact. Great, now the entirety of the right side of Dinara's body was completely and utterly useless. Cursing her own stupidity and completely neglecting to remember that there was indeed a companion of hers still comfortably positioned up the tree, the girl tried to think of other ways for her to move.
"If I can only get to the castle walls, I could use my left arm to prop myself up and support my weight and make my way back to the Common Room! Now, I just have to focus on making my way there."
Silently thanking God that most students had already returned indoors as the sun was starting to set, Dinara's confidence and morale had been considerably boosted by the little pep-talk that she had given herself. Verbalising her thoughts and her action plan always seemed to help Dinara that little bit more. With a firm nod of her head and a determined exclamation of 'I can do it!', Dinara propped herself on her side and got to work on rolling back to the castle walls.
[font=segoe script]Dinara Lucey[/font]
Stamina 5 | Evasion 10 | Strength 5 | Wisdom 2 | Arcane Power 10 | Accuracy 8