The Power Within Us PV:Evelynn Closed

Despite the fact that quidditch was—and likely always would be—her priority, there was no denying the appeal of a good duel. As soon as the duelling club had opened its doors for spectators to sit in on the matches, Evelynn had been certain to attend all of those that her limited schedule permitted. To her, it was more than simply a curiosity. There was a great deal of value in their observation: from gleaning hints of education to come, to gaining priceless insight in clever uses for spells or how to overcome them.

Moreover, it provided a unique opportunity to profile some of the strengths and weaknesses of her peers. To see how they adapt to various encounters. To glimpse their reaction times and critical thinking ability. It was exactly that reason of study that stayed her hand in participation. The lioness had always been the sort to want to keep her cards close to her chest and give away no more than necessary. Well, that and she had actually likely met her limit as far as extra-curriculars were concerned.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The heels of her riding boots echoed off stone as she made her way through the halls. Night—and thus curfew—was fast approaching and she had noted a distinct lack of a certain someone within the Gryffindor common room. Not that this was entirely all that unusual. After all, the student body was accelerating quickly towards the year end and the final exams and assignments that it tended to summon. More and more students were staying out later and later at the library in order to sap every last bit of time among scrawled stacks of scrolls and toppling towers of tomes.

She had counted herself among that number more often than not. But not tonight. Tonight she had been on the prowl for someone ever since that afternoon's earlier debacle. Her reason for attending these contests of arcane superiority weren't limited simply to study, however. While that may have been the initial driving force, it happened to be that she had developed friendships over the school year with some of those that counted themselves among the duelling numbers. Prime among those: Valentine. And this day, well...it had not exactly gone how anyone might have expected.

At first, she had thought to give him some space. No doubt, he would be fielding enough harsh looks and questions as it was without adding her own to the mix. As the day wore on, however, his prolonged absence could no longer be ignored. Like an unidentified ticking noise, she found her attention persistently drawn away from her intended task and pulled towards him. Perhaps they weren't the best of friends—she doubted anyone would consider her as such—but they were at least friends, and she'd begun to grow somewhat accustomed to his presence, however passive or otherwise it might have been in any given moment.

The silence of his wake was deafening.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Self-proposed questions pertaining to potion recipes and wand movements soon became abandoned, replaced instead with queries posed to her peers. Surely someone knew where he had got to. After that display...chances are that if someone hadn't known him previously, they might know of him now. From her experience, school children weren't exactly the kindest of people. Barbed tongues and snap judgments were common, and gossip tended to travel quickly. His actions—or, rather, inaction—was exactly the sort of thing that could fuel such mockery.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) her peers proved to be nearly useless. Nobody could specifically point out if they had seen him. Or if they had, there was uncertainty about when, or where. Whispered rumors petered out and clues lead in circles. Eventually, however, she had managed to collect enough tendrils of half-truths to construct something of a true trail that she followed all the way towards the owlery.

At the base of the tower's stairs, she had paused. Her fear had largely dissipated since first year, but every now and then, invisible tethers gave her pause. Grey hues stared up into the dim void that beckoned her forward. Habit had her stoop briefly to slide her wand from the inside seam of her boot. "Lumos," she whispered, as though the light that blossomed from the tip of the wooden implement wouldn't give her position away all on its own. Shoulders rose and fell with a steadying breath; knuckles whitened with her tightened grip; and once again the soles of her boots graced the stone.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Every step seemed to be a hurdle all unto its own. Sans windows to ensure the owls free reign to come and go as they pleased, the owlery wasn't exactly warm. Chill air drafted down the steps to greet Evelynn's approach like the cold shoulder she expected to find at the peak. The hairs on her neck stood on end. The higher she climbed, the more her skin seemed to prickle. It couldn't have been more than a week since she'd last written her mother, but she couldn't remember the last time she'd ventured this way outside of lunch-time hours. Somehow, knowing that the sun stood overhead and the rest of the castle buzzed in the height of the day's activities made all the difference. Here… now… on the cusp of eve… only God knew what prowled within the shadows.

It was almost with relief when she finally broke from the stairwell and into the owlery proper. She spied the figure against the far wall near one of the windows, but paid him little mind initially. The mop of blonde was enough to confirm his identity as her missing person which left her free to secure the surroundings. A quick sweep of her wand around the perimeter of the room affirmed the absence of anything—or anyone—less than welcome. Once again, her shoulders rose with a prolonged inhalation. This time, however, her exhalation was marked by the relaxation of her form and subsequent lowering of her wand. Her guard was down. At least a bit.

"Straw, actually, I think," Evelynn chimed in sly retort to the boy's greeting as she turned her attention back onto him. The toe of one of her boots scuffed at the scattering of straw strewn across the owlery floor. Pink tinged nose, blood-shot eyes. He looked like he'd been crying. Faint creases etched across her brow, lips crimping. "I've been looking for you…" Light-hearted jesting was exchanged for concern in her following comment, and something particularly friable crunched underfoot. She took a little extra care to pick the rest of her way over to him and when she had, she pivoted to lean against the wall next to him. "What are you hiding from?"

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Jackson Valentine[/font]

@Evelynn Decipio

A wordless understanding had passed when their eyes met. Valentine had known this girl long and well enough to understand how she felt simply by how she looked at him. And perhaps she saw something similar in him too. His hurt, her concern, and a silent plea not to let go were conveyed in a matter of seconds. His glassy eyes looked like they would shatter if she broke their line of eye contact for even a second. Deep inside was an unfathomable sorrow from problems unsolvable and the narrow-mindedness of man. Still, even in her presence, his limbs froze up tensely like a wounded animal. He didn’t like to be seen at times like this, his image penetrated, his feelings spilling out like a fountain. Yet, being seen by someone he was prone to trust caused a wave of relief to wash over him. Though his shields were torn down, a simple truth was revealed about the way he felt, the solitude that had come about as he undertook his great mission: he didn’t want to be alone anymore.

Besides, what were close friends if one couldn’t trust them? At that moment, he made a conscious choice, and the tension in his body began to ebb away. Out of embarrassment for his improper conduct, his cheeks began to take on a reddish tint as he watched her survey the room for threats. Good. It was good that she knew how dangerous this school was. It was good that she didn’t pretend that it was some haven for fun and games like so many other students did. At the mere age of twelve, Valentine felt the weight of adulthood on his shoulders. He marveled then, watching as she conscientiously inspected the darkest corners of the tower, clearing them of any potential threat. The swiftness that she did so with and the fact that such a patrol was warranted caused him to ponder: how quickly they had all grown up over the course of a year. But had anyone ever stopped to ask if it was ever too quick for children?

He waited for her to declare that the room was safe with the lowering of her wand before meeting her gaze again. How charming was she when instilled with concentration, her brows knitted and her stormy grey eyes brewing with thought. Like many other girls at this school, Evelynn Decipio was a looker, but those who could see past the distractions of her satin red hair would sense the sharpness of her wit and tongue, the calculated and purposeful intent of her actions that commanded an aura of competence and dependability.

"Straw, actually, I think."

He snorted softly, his eyes glinting with fleeting amusement. Amid his sorrowful demeanor, the half-smirk he offered her looked uncomfortably irregular. Not long after, the wisps of his smile quickly disappeared.

"I've been looking for you..."

For how long, he thought. It had never occurred to him that people would try to find him. It was by habit at this point that he was resolved to overcoming his challenges alone. But then he saw a pattern. The night of the Astronomy Tower sleepover, that evening in the Common Room, and again today. Why was it always Evelynn? His piercing gaze studied her thoughtfully, recalling the words she had spoken to encourage him earlier in the year, the emotional support she had rendered when he was most vulnerable. Perhaps he was lucky, unlike so many others, to have a friend so constant. She had been a powerful guiding force in his journey at Hogwarts, more so than even the Professors could have been, and at the mere age of thirteen. The severity of his expression lessened as he retreated inward on himself, his sight falling to the floor.

He heard her footsteps as she approached, a soft cadence against the erratic beating of his heart. Eventually, the two became more alike, blending into a single, steady rhythm. He watched from the peripheral of his vision as she leaned up against the wall, a cold shadow cast over her by the Owlery's monstrous frame. Gloom seemed perpetual in his place of solace, but the boy seemed contrary to the feelings he sought to convey. The golden sun hanging in the sky was a singular ray of light, bathing him in all its glory, so conspicuous was he, a fire in the darkness.

"What are you hiding from?"

"If I was hiding, you wouldn't have found me," he replied, shooting her a glance before staring back out of the Owlery window. His arm came up slowly, beckoning her to look outward as well, to see the vast world that lay before them.

"I... I just needed to get away from those people," he stated remorselessly.