25 Apr 2021, 18:56
Dinner Discussion
Place: At the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall
Date: April 20th, 2021
Time: Dinnertime
Jack should have been more glad to notice his brother had returned to Hogwarts Castle via Binding Mark once Easter break had come to an end. Normally, he would have, but so much had happened while Ruka had been away that Jack wasn't sure what to tell him. He didn't know where to start. He almost even thought it might have been better if Ruka had stayed where he was due to what had happened recently with Flash having been kidnapped by Selim and Kazuo having been put in danger during the same incident. Who knew what might have happened to Ruka if Ruka had also been present at the time Selim had concocted his nefarious plan?
And yet, Jack also dearly missed Ruka. As much as part of him wanted the Gryffindor to stay where it was safe, part of him was just as glad he was back at Hogwarts. It had been so lonely trying to avoid everyone while Ruka had been away. There were times Jack had even caved and spent time with others because he couldn't stand the distance but they had been difficult and full of guilt. At least with Ruka, Jack didn't worry that their closeness would bring the older boy trouble. He knew the fire dancer could take care of himself well enough. And besides - being without him had already started to feel like being without his second half, as if they were twins.
Thus, it was with mixed feelings, a heavy heart, and an uncharacteristically grave demeanor that Jack went over to join Ruka at the Gryffindor table one evening. It hadn't been immediately after Ruka had returned because it had taken Jack a while to sort out his thoughts and what he wanted to say and not say. In the end, he still wasn't sure, but he couldn't bear not having his adopted older sibling so close for so long now and yet not talking to him about what was on his mind. It was different before when they could just exchange telepathic messages, but ever since Kazuo had been marked right before Christmas Break, they had tried to avoid using telepathy excessively or frivoulously so as not to overwhelm their newest Binding Mark member. At least during dinner, though, they could talk together in relative privacy and face-to-face.
"...Hey, Ruka," Jack said with a weary smile as he plopped down next to the Gryffindor copper-haired boy on the wooden bench. He had brought his plate with him, but there wasn't much on it and he didn't look like he meant to put much more on it either.
"...Um..." He glanced up quickly, then back at the few pieces of food before him. "...Sorry you had to hear whatever you did during break. It was...kind of an emergency."
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
PC: Jack Burnett | iNPC: Ginyami Midorimori
25 Apr 2021, 20:08
Dinner Discussion
@Jack Burnett
Upon returning to Hogwarts, there was one person in particular that Ruka was eager to see again, but circumstances had made it difficult to arrange a get together. Catching up with all the school work he had missed had taken up most of Ruka's time, and he felt he owed his brother more than a quick pat on the shoulder followed by a rushed goodbye. He had wanted them to have the chance to actually talk, especially considering the thoughts he had had running through his head while he was away; the ones that hadn't been his own.
Those particular thoughts were also the reason why Ruka hadn't wanted to rush Jack into a conversation he was potentially not ready to have yet, so he had made himself available as much as he could, so his brother would be able to approach him whenever he felt he wanted to.
That night, it seemed, was the time for it to happen. Ruka barely looked up when he felt a presence next to him, could recognise Jack from the corner of his eyes even before he sat down with a plate that wasn't nearly full enough for Ruka's liking. The demeanour Jack held himself with was unusual, lacked the energy Ruka was used to drawing from his brother, and it prompted him to look up at the tired smile on Jack's face. The tone of his words matched the expression on his face, and Ruka found himself frowning at the other boy, watching his gaze lower to his sparsely covered plate.
Tilting his head to the side, Ruka decided to forego a formal greeting and instead reached up to ruffle his fingers through Jack's hair. "Sorry?" he repeated, lips curled into a small smile. "What for? I'm pretty sure I agreed to hearing about anything going on in your life when I agreed to..." He gestured vaguely in the direction of his arm before reaching for his goblet and taking a quick sip of Pumpkin juice. Taking that moment to muster his brother over the rim, Ruka placed the goblet back on the table and promptly reached out to pull Jack into a slightly awkward hug considering them sitting next to each other wasn't an ideal position for it. Holding on for a little while longer, Ruka let his forehead rest against his brother's shoulder, fingertips curling to dig into Jack's skin as if to make sure he was real and actually there, right next to him.
He had seen Flash since returning to Hogwarts, and he had seen Kazuo, but he hadn't actually seen Jack until just now and getting to hold onto him for a moment flooded Ruka with a sense of relief, replacing the dread he hadn't realised his lungs had been filled with. "How are you?" he asked plainly as he finally allowed Jack to pull away from the hug again, though one arm would remain around his brother's shoulders in a vaguely uncomfortable upwards bend. It was about time Jack stopped growing so Ruka could properly catch up with him.
Taking a quick look at Jack's plate, Ruka reached his free hand out to shovel some potatoes on it. "Eat," he said sternly, eyebrows raised accusingly. He was no stranger to lost appetite and he didn't need his brother to spiral into that. Anything Jack may have wanted to talk about, Ruka would have preferred he do it on a full stomach.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9