END A Final Heart 2 Heart <3 pv Ileen Knight Re-Opened

Ileen walked over the grass to the spot that Hanako had marked on the adorable map. It would be an underestimation to say she was curious to see what this was all about. Hanako and her had a very iffy and undefined relationship that changed quickly depending on the situation. Last, they had fought as partners in a duel and yet they were no friends. Ileen enjoyed their chaotic dynamic - it was just so much fun to tease him. But sending her a note in such a tone didn’t seem quite authentic. It was too… too nice. And Ileen did know that much: If Hanako tried to be nice, he wanted something. And she couldn’t wait to find out what it was.
Also, it was a good distraction from her gloomy mood. She just had learned that Victor had died for good. And she had sworn to find the person who had done that. The grief and guilt still sat in her bones and she had had a hard time focusing on the world lately. But this note had brought her back to life, at least for a while. The dark shadows under her eyes told about her lack of sleep though and there was something sad in her expression. She still felt responsible and she couldn't get rid of it until she had done him justice.

To show her good will she had left Liv, her cat, in the dormitory. She wasn’t allergic to anything, but Hanako was - not only to good manners, but also to her cat.
Actually this situation was perfect to finally hand something over that she had for a few months.The whole Victor situation had vanished from her mind, but now she had been reminded.
Dressed in her favorite dark blue jeans and her warm red sweater she walked energetically over the grass. Her ponytail bounced up and down with every step. Under her right arm she had clamped a clumsy package that was carefully enveloped in wrapping paper and held together with a golden gift ribbon. The note had sounded like there was something prepared for her and like this she had not to show up empty handed. Just for fun she had considered bringing her camera and teasing him more about the model comment, but who knew what he was up to? Her camera was way too precious to endanger it like that. Maybe this was a trick to use her against Percival. Or to make her leave Percival alone… Totally depending on their relationship status. It changed so much that Ileen had lost track.

As she arrived she couldn’t help but stop and stare at the setup, her mouth dropping open. It looked like… a date? All the carefully prepared snacks and drinks, flower crowns. Actually it had a touch of those cheesy movies where a guy would propose to his girlfriend. Ileen tilted her head and caught the gaze of the boy. “I am flattered, but I won’t marry you. Sorry.”

@Hanako Tone

𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝
𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎: 𝟾𝚊𝚖

Hanako caught a glimpse of Ileen approaching. Ah, so she did arrive. Guess theres no turning back now. Truthfully he was getting anxious about being here alone looking like a loser, that the sight of Ileen made him ease up just a bit. And for that, she deserved a warm greeting. But alas, Knight beat him to it saying she’s not marrying him.

“ Ha ha Knight, vveerry funny. Should I play along? Ooohhh my dear Ileennnnn~” he placed his hand on his heart dramatically. “ But I’ve loved you since the day we met. You’re the first girl I’ve met that ever said no to me~!. I haven't slept day and night to prepare this for you. What do I lack ~!? “After wiping away a few invisible tears, he rolled his eyes, trying to hide the twinge of a smile on his face. “ Now you’re just purposely tempting me to start a rumour about you, aren’t you. I gotta say, it’s working ”. From his position, he sat up and pulled his legs in a crossed legged sitting to get a good look at Ileen. At least she didn’t seem like she was ready for battle. Hanako had assured his wandless state, but honestly it would be smart not to believe him. Telling trusts wasn’t the best thing he was known for.

“ To be honest, I wasn’t expecting you to come. Guess I can’t chicken out now “ he admitted, grabbing two of the thermos bottles filled with tea. “ Sit down, Knight. We’re gonna have an ugly talk. But I’m gonna balance it out with this cute set-up. You better get into it since I really did a lot to prepare for it. Get with the theme and wear that “ thermos in hand, he pointed to the flower crown and empty space, before looking back to Ileen. “ You can keep your.. Uh.. what is that even-” he referred to the horridly packaged item she carried with scepticism. “ It better not be food. I’ll be hurt if you think I’ll go as far as poisoning our picnic food. Do you think that low of me? “.

“ Anyway, English Breakfast or Early Grey?” He showed her the two thermos bottles, lifting one over the other when he referred to their tea. He intended to pour a cup to her. It's only the polite thing to do before they start with the dreaded talk.

@Ileen Knight

That’s what she liked about the drama queen Hanako Tone. He would always jump on her sarcastic remarks and although she would never admit it, she loved the banter with him. So naturally she tilted her head, the wrapped gift still under her arm, playfully thoughtful.
“Hmm… you are right, I should explain my bold rejection of your affection. So what do you lack…?” She tapped her chin and casually shifted her weight from one leg to the other.
After a pause in which she looked thoughtfully into the distance, she sought Hanako's gaze and grinned. “Do you just want bullet points or the whole list?” She inquired in a chatty tone and was about to stick her tongue out at him.
“Let’s see. Empathy, forgiveness, kindness, honesty… should I keep going?” A friendly sparkle in her eyes gave away her intentions though. She was here in peace and not trying to stir anything up. “And a rumor? It’s not a rumor that you want to be my friend, is it? She rolled her eyes at him and gave him another smirk. She couldn’t stop teasing him.

Her gaze returned to the very delicious picnic that had been prepared. He had gone out of his way and she couldn’t help but wonder why. What did he want? They were on a neutral to friendly base for her, mostly disguised in sarcastic insults. But he for sure didn’t do it to seal their friendship or whatever it was between them.
Raising her brows at his commanding tone, she reached out and put the flower crown on her head. It was indeed beautiful. At least he was getting to the point of why she was here. “Well, I am surprised you reached out. I am more used to your straight forward common room approach when I try to read. Anyway, This looks quite lovely so thank you for the invite. And it might cancel out the ugliness of our talk. Whatever that might be. Will you tell me what I am lacking, too?” She really had no idea what this would be about. Did her cat poke him and he was here making a formal complaint? Curiously she stared at him before she actually recalled that she had something with her too. “I didn’t show up empty handed. That’s for you.” She pulled the wrapped gift from her arm and presented it to him.

Then she sat down, careful to be in a position to act fast. She was probably nice but not dumb. She would not let her guard down. “Earl Grey. Thank you”
Her brown eyes would be fixed on every movement the boy did. She would not put it beyond him to put something in her tea. Her wand was safely stored in her sleeve. She didn’t think she would need it but you couldn’t be sure with Hanako.

Reducio

What is in the gift?

Hanako would find two items in the wrapped package. One was a elegant mask made of metal



The other one was a college jacket in his size. He would understand why she gave those two things to him.

@Hanako Tone

𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝
𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎: 8am - 12pm

“ Oh anything please~ The more information the better. How will I ever make you fall for me if I don’t know what to fix” he bantered back, the grin on his face showed how he couldn’t help but get amused.

And she started listing all her ‘bad qualities’ she would get lighthearted laughter from the boy. All but for that last one she mentioned: honesty. He wasn’t willing to let it show too obviously, but if she was keen enough, she would be able to notice the faltered enthusiasm in his laugh. For this whole picnic debacle was his attempt at being honest. But from the lack of honesty that was actually shared so far, it was valid that she said so. In fact, he had been fighting off the urge to mask this as a happy surprise of a picnic since he had arrived. Pretend he didn’t actually have anything to say and continue on with their lives as they were before. But hours of convincing himself to do this had implemented in this brain that ‘the way it was before’ was not the way he wanted anymore.

“ Well, I was going for the bad boy vibes. “ he huffed playfully, biting down the comment that her description of him sounded a lot more like another person they both knew. One that happened to be her boyfriend, and his best friend. That was a topic after they had a nice picnic.

“And a rumor? It’s not a rumor that you want to be my friend, is it?"

“ I mean, I would prefer a rumour that doesn’t ruin my own rep. But sure, feel free to assume what you want~”. As if it was a habit at this point, Hanako’s grin didn’t reach his eyes as much as they used to when they had their banters. For he knew, the rumour of him being her friend was as unlikely as her leaving here without any ounce of hatred for Hanako. Ultimately, it was the plan to break up with her. Ideally, she would leave with only relief, but Hana wasn’t as hopeful as he’d liked to be.

She placed the flower crown on her head, and Hanako put all his energy into not letting his glee show. How much he adored people who were pleased enough to wear his flower crowns was a curse itself. The best Ileen could see from him was a gentler smile. “ First of all, I thought my letter was quite straightforward already. And for what you lack, well, I wouldn’t be ‘madly in love’ with you if I thought you had something to fix, wouldn’t you say?”

When she had presented the box, Hanako failed to hide his confusion“ You’re coming here with something other than an empty stomach? What's the occasion?“
This picnic isn’t exactly what you’d call a place where a gift was needed. Never had he ever expected getting a gift today, out of all the days. Much less from her.

The second he opened the present on the spot and the first thing that came out of his mouth was “ Ah. So this- was the occasion “ he pulled out the mask and hug the jacket from both his hands while he presented Ileen the two items. “ to give me a headache” as harsh as his words were, all was elevated by the series of chuckles that followed after. This girl…rarely fails to amuse him. “ So let me tell you what I’m assuming you’re trying to say. Hmmm…get a more aesthetically pleasing mask for your weird hobby of hiding under a paper bag..” he held up the intricately designed mask. “Anndd…” he lowered the mask and held up the jacked. “ Give me my jacket back?.. How do I know this even is my size? Kinda suspicious, Knight. Have you been watching me from afar? ” he jested before he placed both the items back in the box and set it aside for now, giving Ileen his full attention .

She finally sat down and revealed her tea of choice. With a small nod, Hanako went to work and lifted a cup for her to pour tea into. While the tea was being poured as carefully as possible, Hanako’s eyes flickered towards her to find them on him. “ Admiring the view ?” he allowed the flirt to slip naturally out of his mouth, an impish grin on his face. “Wheres that camera of yours. A picture would last longer, after all~”. He would have been flattered regardless if she didn’t even mean to stare at him for that reason. Or at least he would have been if he didn’t know someone else was already in her heart. Instead of flattered, all he feel was an icky tinge growing from his stomach. If she wasn’t staring at him for his looks, then she certainly did it for another reason. He was unsure what her true intentions were as of now, but the worse case scenario: she was being careful with him. And this was another reminder for him to cut this off. Whatever it is they had. As much fun as their conversations were, was it really worth keeping if she didn’t trust him enough? And what’s more? She had valid reasons to be wary.

It would be good for both of them to stop whatever is left of their friendly relationship. But that was a conversation after they had a nice meal.

He landed her tea on the small plate and gently landed it near her for her to take. He went off to grab the other thermos that contained his personal preference of tea. Just as he opened the cap, he hesitated- and closed the lid back on. Instead, he now reached for the same thermos he poured for Ileen. Without sparing a glance at her, or another word, he poured himself earl grey instead. Ileen was free to interpret his actions whichever she seemed fit. She wouldn't be getting confirmation. All that ran through the Japanese boy’s head was that action spoke louder than words. He carefully drank the earl grey. Sighing in relief at the warm that spread through his body from it. Nothing like warm tea during a chilly morning.

“ Now. As much as you don’t have in my honesty, I admit that I’m not the best when it comes to friendly conversations. SSsooooooo” he glanced towards Ileen with an expectant look “ What do people usually say in times like this. Urhhhh.. How was your day? Are you healthy? Jeez, that sounds so basic though. Isnt there something interesting we can talk about thats still considered friendly enough? “

Time seems like a meaningless concept when you’re having fun. How long has it been? An hour? Two? It was a predicament that Hanako both lived for and dreaded at the moment. The endless smooth flow of conversations almost made him forget the real reason why he was here. Only for it to strike him out of nowhere, sending him fighting a frown off his face. Truthfully, he was going to miss this. With his charming personality, not everyone appreciated his whole..presence. To find someone eased him this much was rare. But alas, fate was a brat. And happened to make Ileen someone a bit too important to Percival. Hanako could never feel safe around her. Not totally at least. And if he couldn’t feel totally safe with her, then it was best he cut off this relationship for good.

Eventually by a lot of sheer will power, Hanako pried away from the comfortable stream of fun banter and turned to a more serious tone. Get it done over it, and it will be done quickly. " Im breaking up with you “ he suddenly said after a few moments of silence. “ No really, I want the only time we get to talk to each other is during duelling. " At this point, Hanako found it much easier to look at the half empty cup of tea in his hands than Knight’s face. He appeared to be nonchalant when he said this. Trying to conceal any other emotion he would give away when it comes to the thought of what he was asking for. " You dont even like me all that much. This would be a nice opportunity for us, no?"

In typical Knight fashion, she mentioned she did not recall them dating before. Apparently still chipper from their earlier conversations. Her joke would fall flat. And with that, she seemed to understand the seriousness of the matter. A fact he was secretly pleased at. That is, until he heard the hurt in her next words.

“Why?”

This was his turn to look surprised. What do you mean, [i]‘why’?[/i] Shouldn’t they take this opportunity in a heartbeat? What would she even gain if she knew his reasons? Did it have something to do with the tone she used? She couldn’t have actually grown attached to him, now would she? Oh god. That was even more reason to break this off. “ You know why..” he trailed off, refusing to look at her still. The bitterness in his tone was evident, but he took a deep breath. “ At first it seemed like something I could handle. Considering his relationship with you was sour in the beginning. I thought eventually it would go back to the way it used to be. But that's not the case now is it? ". His words were carefully placed and slowly worded. As if each word went through a tone check making sure he wouldn't’ snap at her. When just the thought of her and Percival together was enough to make him this awful, how could they continue acting like nothing happened? " So instead of pushing you in the great lake, or setting your hair on fire, I just want out. For good. "

Even when he wasn’t paying attention to her, it felt like her frown was loud and clear. “Hm..can you not stand him be a better person since we are friends? Or do you actually discover consciousness under my good influence? .... Just when I thought we could actually get along....” Now it was her turn to sound bitter, a response that didn’t sit well with Hanako. He placed down his cup of tea and tensed his shoulders. His eyes narrowed at hers, giving out a mocking laugh.

“ You turning him into a better person? Do you see why I don't want to get near you anymore? Its like youre so confident it takes a little bit of your smile and he'll be doing anything you say “. What right did she have to say that? He supposed the reasons could easily be obvious, but to hear it coming out of Knights mouth made him clench the blanket they sat on. Crumpling a small portion of it under his grasps as if that will make the truth less real.

If he became a better person, he’d leave me for you. Their whole relationship was dependant on acceptance of their worst traits. If those were fixed, Hanako wouldn’t be needed anymore. No, he was more than certain Rainwood would leave him. It didn’t matter how loyal the other boy had been. Nothing was more truthful than what Hanako wanted to believe. Especially powerful when fear was a contributing factor to the decision.

He choose not to comment on her last sentence. It was easy to ignore when agitation started to cloud his judgement. Especially when he had no real response to that. What was he supposed to say? Me too? I hoped as well but this is the best situation for both of us.

"Oh, you want to believe that, right?" She gets up and looks at him with a bitter laugh. One he didn’t think she was capable of making. "I actually think, this is neither about me nor Percival. This is actually about yourself. As soon as you develop something positive you want to stamp it into the ground “

He flinched at her words, but remained silent, glaring at the ground. Wanting nothing more than to have the ground swallow him. At least then, he wouldn’t need to deal with this. The truth stings. She was too perceptive for her own good. Damnit. As long as he didn’t say anything, she wouldn’t get confirmation on her theory. Acting nonchalant was the best tactic to use right now. And frankly the only thing he could do. It was better for her to stay ignorant of the specifics of his thoughts. It would only make matters worse after all. It's easier to be hated, than for her to fail to understand him. What was there to understand? He was selfish, crude, jealous, and generally awful. Someone Rainwood would stop appreciating once he found out they were better people like Knight around. Why would he allow that sort of pain to happen?

“ And I mean... It's not like we were actually friends anyway."

“ Right “ he agreed. Ignoring the churn in his chest when he heard what she said. Against his better judgement, the next string of words were mumbled out. “ Just wait until he finds out you're here to fix him, not really for him. "

It seemed that his last sentence had struck a chord.

"How dare you say that." Ileen frown deepened. "I am his friend and I want him to be safe and happy. And I wanted that for you too. Well... maybe not happy, if you are even capable of this feeling. “

“ But we’re not friends. You said so yourself “ he snapped, dismissing her words like he didn’t even want to hear them. Sounding way more agitated than he wanted to let on. Had she really wanted him to be happy? Why on earth would she do that? They don’t care for one another, so why was she upset about it? Why was he upset about it?

“ But safe. I saved your life more than once. I keep your secrets." He had no response to that. Mainly because he was distracted by the face she was making. It was like there was something else mixed in with all her frustration. It was that thing again. Hurt. Why did she look so..sad? What was there to be sad about? Everything was working out the way they wanted it to. It was a new sight to see. The Ileen in his head was always.. laughing at his jokes, or smiling whenever they banter with one another. He didn’t like it. And he hated how he didn’t like it.

He wouldn’t be able to get his answer, it seemed, as she was ready to make a turn to leave. She took a deep breath. "I thought, that we can give each other freedom to be who we are. Trying to push me in the lake would be better than indifference. We were no friends. But we were not indifferent." Carefully she would take the flower crown and placed it back on the blanket. "Thank you for your honesty. I'll stay out of your life and respect your wishes."

As she had turned away, she wouldn’t be able to see Hana’s hand that reached out to her meekly, only to take it back close to his chest. Instead, once she was out of sight, Hanako picked up the flower crown she left behind. “ I did it. I succeeded “ despite it, his words were devoid of the victory winners felt.

Coward. That's what he really is beneath all this, isn't it? Whatever regret he felt now, it will leave. Soon. He'll make sure of it.

massive godmodding allowed by@Ileen Knight