^{@.Noah Jupe}

----Its been a while since Vale took the time to hang out with her friends. Broom racing was a lot harder to deal with than she anticipated. It should be just flying as fast as she can and setting things on fire all she liked. What's the point of anything else? Vale grimaced to herself, picking away at a scoop of vanilla ice cream caked with various toppings that were ready to fall off. She couldn't decide what she wanted, and ended up getting almost everything.

"I don't know how you can handle Quidditch. Sounds like too many rules and tactics. Broom racing is straight forward. Smack each other and fly forward." Vale took a giant scoop of her ice cream and shoved it into her mouth. The toppings surprisingly combined well enough for her to gobble down.

"I used to be so bad at flying first year. But they let me on the team. Must've been desperate." The girl paused in her eating, realizing that half of her ice cream was sliding down her mouth. It plopped back down into its bowl, and casually re-eaten.

"Mama was worried about that for a while. Thought it'd kill me. But, that's part of the point! Getting strangled by sharp thorns, thrown around by a giant squid..." Vale finally stopped her blabbing for once, swallowing down her pride along with an excessive amount of vanilla ice cream. "So...uh...how are things between you and Maggie?" Vale was slow to approach, picking away at her ice cream.

"I mean, I don't see you guys so often! Um...you know. Gotta be tough sticking together with uh, everything that's been happening and all. I mean, surely the team is fine with...you know? Might be worrisome if something happens and you two, erm..." Vale was truly doing her best to walk on the subject without making it appear she found issues with it.

Not that she did! No, maybe just a bit of a sour mood. But whatever this sour mood was, meant nothing if it meant she can hear the two babble away about sparkling vampires and giant werewolves. But maybe she'll have to ask to sit in a seat that wouldn't be suffocating her so much.
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It's been a while since Avery caught up with Vale. Between all his quidditch training after making first-string chaser, and violin practice, the growing boy hadn't had as much time as he'd liked to spend with his old friend. But, now that it was summer break and quidditch practice was no longer a near-daily endeavor from his muggle home, Avery found he had plenty of time to spare and many people to catch up with. So, here he was at Florean's, with a sticky toffee pudding ice cream in a waffle cone in hand.

He chuckled at Vale's comment about quidditch having too many rules and tactics. "I don't know, Vale, sometimes I just smack people and fly towards the goals with the quaffle, too. I'm not sure how you handle broom racing, dodging monsters that eat you and everyone on the opposing team out to murder you." In quidditch, there were mostly just two beaters to worry about. He took a hearty bite out of his ice cream. He was not the type to patiently lick. He wrinkled his nose. Ooh! Brain freeze!

"Nah, you got that wrong, Vale!" he protested adamantly to Vale's insistence that she only got onto the team due to their desperation. "I'd say that the rest of us were just to chicken to join the broom racing team! It takes people with guts to want to fly like that..." he paused, thinking back to their first year, which all seemed like a nice dream to him now, despite all the fights he got into and all the drama. People had grown apart, or left Hogwarts altogether. Those he thought could be his friend turned out to be his enemy (Schneider). However, Vale had always been one of the few he knew he could always call his friend. "...and you're one of the most gutsy friends I have," he said with a lilted smile, and gave her a friendly punch to the arm. And she was someone that he had really come to admire. "Give yourself more credit!" He took another bite. "But, if you're really gonna quit broom racing and move on to something else, I'd support you 100%! What do you think you'd do with the extra time if you did quit?" he asked, curious.

Avery looked a bit confused for a moment as she asked how things were between him and Maggie. Why, did she think something had happened between them? A disagreement perhaps? "Oh, uh, we're doing great! It's kind of been a tumultuous year, as you know," he mused, thinking about their quidditch ups and downs. You win some and you lose some. "But we're going strong! Not going to let anyone stop us next year!" he said with determination, fire in his eyes. He paused and looked at Vale with a bit of concern. "Why, did someone say something to you?" he asked, wondering if he'd done something to irritate his teammate, like fumbling her passes a bit too much, or not tossing to her when she had been open. "Might be worrisome if something happens and... and what?" he asked, dumbfounded. There was definitely something going on here. He hadn't seen Vale so flustered or at a loss for words in a while, if ever. For a girl who usually spoke her mind and acted without hesitation, this was a new side to her that he hadn't really seen. It was probably really bad, whatever Maggie had complained about him to Vale.

Despite this confusion, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he grabbed a napkin and lifted his hand to press it against Vale's chin, which was dripping with ice cream and sprinkles and whatnot. Not that he minded the way it economically dribbled back down into her bowl -- in fact, it was quite endearing, but he wanted to let her know that he's got Vale's back, whenever.

^{@.Noah Jupe}

----Vale took a whole moment to herself to realize what Avery was doing to her face. A kind gesture, one that reminded her of her own mother. Vale's amber eyes stared back to Avery's. A short blink, and only a few words to answer the boy in front of her.

"I would come and watch your matches. Every single one."

Vale looked down, picking away at her melting ice cream. She only became flustered again, nearly throwing her spoon to the ground at the mass of questions that came her way.

"Uh, you know! Dating...and stuff. Could cause issues. Well, my captains say so." Vale nearly choked out on a massive chunk of ice cream shoved into her mouth. When she finally stopped her hacking, she rubbed her arm.

"I mean, it's not a real big deal! Like, maybe the team trust you guys and stuff." How smooth, at least the idea that she had an issue with it was brushed off. "I think my captains would put me in a chokehold if they're convinced I'm dating someone on the team." Her eyes rolled away, looking at anything other than the boy in front of her. Her ice cream has long since been forgotten by now, especially when it was trying to take her out in the most boring way possible. Death by ice cream. It's not even chocolate.
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“I would come and watch your matches. Every single one." Avery paused for a moment, hand still outstretched. Then, he beamed easily, a warm, happy smile that spread across his boyish features. “Well,” he said, “I can’t complain about that! Better get ready to put on a show each match to make it worth your time, then!” He comically flexed an arm, as if to demonstrate his strength, but of course, there wasn’t much of a bicep yet beneath the young teen’s sleeve.

His questions about Maggie and what Vale meant seemed to aggravate the girl sitting across from him. ‘Dating and stuff’? He looked at her in confusion for a moment, then hastily offered her some water and a few whacks to the back as her ice cream went down the wrong way. Man, who knew Florean’s could be so deadly.

"I mean, it's not a real big deal! Like, maybe the team trust you guys and stuff." Avery nodded as if he knew what she was saying. Was Vale implying that she knew people who wanted to date him and Maggie? “Yeah, yeah! I mean, I think Dan and Koko trust us, and both of them like me, I think! Maggie and me dating is no issue at all, really!” Honestly, he was mostly relieved that Maggie wasn’t mad at him.

"I think my captains would put me in a chokehold if they're convinced I'm dating someone on the team." Oh, so that’s what she was worried about. If he and/or Maggie were dating team members, and the captains got upset. “I don’t think you have to worry about that,” he said reassuringly, thinking that there was no one he particularly wanted to date on his team. Many of the people on the team were guys or much older girls, so why was Vale thinkng he’d find someone to date on the team? Then, a thought struck him. Was Vale thinking about a dilemma of her own? That could explain how hesitant and unsure she looked. “Is there actually someone you might want to date on yours?” he asked, curious. “I mean, Colin’s a good lad.” Indeed, the boy was quite the positive force and loyal friend.

@Vale Ashwood

^{@.Noah Jupe}

----Avery's words ended up unsettling Vale more. The rose at the tea party, the seemingly more than casual book discussion about vampires and their sparkling romance. All she needed was the blunt answer to her question, confirming her suspicions.

Vale wondered where Maggie gotten her strange chairs that would suck people in. It would be nice to be sucked into it right now. She almost didn't hear Avery's own question about her dating pool.

"Colin?" Vale's eyes blinked, her ice cream nothing but a cold soup now with her reflection staring back at her.

"He's a cool guy. Probably would set himself on fire if asked." Vale took a moment to think about her broom racing teammate. Would he? She almost felt enticed to ask him now, just to see. Oh, forget the ice cream. Vale dropped her spoon into the melted bowl.

"Not to date or anything. Like, hm, he's someone you know wouldn't rat you out for hiding a body. O-Or may even help you do that! But date? I'm sure there's someone out there that would." She scratched her head, deciding if she was going to go home for the summer just to spend time with her parents. Maybe they'll help her understand all the weird stuff she's been dealing with these days. More weirder than usual, mind you.

"So...heading home this summer? Mama says I can visit my aunties this time! Though she says I gotta dress more 'radiant' there, or whatever that means. Don't like seeing me wear all black." A scoff came from Vale, hoping that she can change the subject away from Avery's wonderous new life with Maggie. Yeah, that'll work! Maybe.
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He wasn't sure why, but it seemed that Vale seemed quite unhappy about something. The ice cream that she had been eating so voraciously now seemed to be a lukewarm, untouched soup at their table. What was happening? Was there something that was on her mind that she wasn't telling him? Worried, and hoping to find out more, Avery tentatively asked her about her broom racing team to see why she was so interested in discussing this idea of dating teammates.

Heart in a tight knot, he asked her if, perhaps, she was interested in Colin McCoire. Although he wouldn't be surprised that a girl would have a crush on exuberant, honest, and good-natured Colin, he would definitely be disappointed if Vale had chosen his friend over himself. He watched her nervously. "Colin?" Vale asked, as if she had never thought about it, and Avery let out a relieved breath. "He's a cool guy. Probably would set himself on fire if asked." He couldn't help but laugh out loud here. "Ha! I think he's had enough of fire," he thought back a little hesitantly back to the mock duel that Hunter hosted, when Hunter as moderator had Incendio-d Colin, "but I think he'd definitely help a mate bury a body," he grinned. "And yeah, isn't he dating Clair?" he said with a shrug. "We should all hang out sometime!" That would be fun. Like a double date, or something, he added, in his own mind.

He couldn't help but look up from his ice cream cone, happily at Vale. "I'm glad you're not thinking about dating someone on your team. I really haven't had much luck with my own love life," He added, not really knowing if Vale understood how these two thoughts connected. Here, he leaned back in his chair with a deep, discouraged sigh, stretching his arms out while looking at the colorful ceiling of Florean's. It was so easy just talking to Vale, sometimes, that he didn't mind revealing more than he intended, and the words just naturally came out of his mouth. Actually, a small part of him even wanted Vale to ask him more. Sheepishly, he caught Vale's eye before distracting himself with a bite of his cone, showing that he was also okay if Vale decided not to broach the topic further.

"Yeah, I'm staying home this summer in between the Hogwarts summer camp. Are you going?" he asked, brows raised, hoping that she would. "I'm so glad that I'm not doing violin camp this summer, and that I actually get to go! I think my parents are finally starting to let go a little on violin, and more open to letting me live out my Hogwarts life." It had been such a struggle, really, convincing his strict muggle parents that the world of magic held just as many opportunities for a stable, good life as the world that they knew.

He smiled as Vale practically rolled her eyes at having to wear more radiant colors. Seeing her in actual colors would certainly be new, but he knew that black was such a staple that suited her, too. "Black is so signature Vale Ashwood," he affirmed, nibbling at his cone, "but what do you think it'd feel like to wear more colors? Stun everyone during third year?" he chuckled at the thought.

^{@.Noah Jupe}

----Vale blinked. Avery and Maggie...are having love troubles?! She nearly brushed off the reveal Colin's relationship to Clair. She was happy for him, sure, but Avery?! Maggie?!

"Really? But you seem to be getting along just fine with each other!" Vale blurted, having her ice cream thrown to the ground by her sudden jump from her chair. Her dreadlocks quickly fell down to the table. It took Vale a moment to realize just how exaggerated her reaction was.

"Uh, well...that's...sad. Thought you two were doing fine." She slowly sat back down, glad her face was dark for a moment. She hurried down to pick up her mess to the best of her ability before cleaning her hands away.

"Oh! Uh, I was thinking to. I mean, I haven't went to one yet. Could be fun..." Vale didn't like to admit she just wanted to avoid home for a short while. Not with how Raydon been acting lately since she, Hunter, and Avery found that secret room hidden away in her home. And strangely enough, he's been coming home more often, as if he was waiting for her each time.

"More colors? Hm...well, my aunties and sisters do keep telling me to add more color. I could give it a bit of a try, even if it is unfashionable." Vale realized her hair somehow had ice cream in it, and began scribbling away at it. "You should try wearing just black. You'd look great! Uh, I mean. It is fashionable after all. Intimidates all your enemies too!"
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Avery blinked back at Vale as she spoke, then raised his brows as she all but threw her ice cream to the floor in her haste to get up. A look of surprise and confusion appeared on the boy's small face, his own ice cream cone almost dropping from his hand.

"Us 'two'? Who are you talking about?" he asked Vale, blinking, thinking back to what he had just said, and what could've triggered Vale's surprise and confusing words. "Did..." he couldn't help but grin in amusement at this point, as he came to some sort of realization. "--Did you think I was crushing on someone else?" 'Someone else', because, he only had interest for the girl in front of him. His surprise and confusion quickly became a look of mischief. "So, who did you think it was?" he asked, wondering how he or anyone else might've confused Vale such that his crush actually thought he was with someone else.

In truth, he hadn't ever considered wearing all black. "I mean, I guess that's pretty cool," he admitted, but inwardly thinking it was such a different 'look' than what he was used to. He was an exuberant person himself, after all, and kinda liked to stand out in a crowd sometimes. He kept rambling at this point. "I dunno, do you think I should try a new style for third year? Change it up a bit?" he asked, jokingly shooting a few finger guns, as if that made him a 'cool guy'. "If you start wearing colors, and I start wearing all black, that'll confuse the hell out of everyone!" He smoothed out his bird's nest of hair as if doing a photoshoot, and laughed at himself. "And yeah, I do have some enemies that need intimidating," he added, thinking briefly of that prick Percival Rainwood.

^{@.Noah Jupe}

----Vale slowly but surely was beginning to see the bigger picture. The small details didn't reveal the exact truth that she had built up in her mind. The rose from the tea party, the vampire book reading. The assumption of the not-so secretive dating between one Maggie and one Avery...was it all possibly just a assumption? Avery's question was left unanswered for much too long, Vale's eyes wandering away. Just to look at anything but the boy in front of her.

One hand reached up to gently tug at a dreadlock before it grabbed a bundle. The other soon to follow just to hide the young girl's face. Her dark skin wasn't going to save her now. There was a small amount of relief that a certain spider named Familia wasn't with her to avoid messing up her makeshift home away from home, and the dreadlocks hid away amber eyes.

A silence followed, breaking away from any further conversation about a potential new wardrobe for both of them. It felt too long until Vale felt confident enough to explain herself.

"Maggie." Vale admitted in a sort of mumbling. She held her dreadlocks in place, still much too unsettled in turning her eyes back to the boy from her dreadlock barrier.

"Surely you asked her to the ball? With the rose and all...?" One amber eye finally took to peek between the barrier. While willing to swim with alligators and transverse through her family's backyard in the dead of night without a care, this was one of the very few times she felt a sense of unease.

A particular part of the conversation eventually struck her.

"You're...crushing, on someone else? Who? Do I know them? Need help in hiding a body so you won't have competition for their affections?" Vale took the courage to pull her dreadlocks slightly back, finally willing to see Avery's reaction to her words. Vale wasn't sure how her father obtained her mother's affections, but surely it had something to do with hiding bodies and leaving only one suitor alive.

But, who could that person be? If it's not Maggie, who else? Vale was quite too busy with schooling and broom racing to have took note of Avery's connections. Could it be a fan of his during Quidditch? A potential classmate? Or, even an older student? She'd have no chance against someone older! Vale never could take the time to go to a game of his yet either, and a mournful feeling of dread kicked in.
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It took a while for Vale to answer his lighthearted question as to who she might've mistaken as his other half. So much so, that he was starting to get worried about what he had just said. Questions came to his mind involuntarily, as a sort of anxiety befell the usually lackadaisical boy.

"Maggie," she eventually said, and Avery almost didn't catch the name through her soft voice. "Surely you asked her to the ball? With the rose and all...?" Avery blinked. Did he hear her correctly? For a moment, he inhaled deeply in thought, and wrinkled his brow in confusion. Then, a myriad of small connections sparked in his little brain. The Valentine's Tea Party last year, which he could not summon up he courage to give to Vale, and taken the easy way out by giving it to his friend, Maggie. Before emptying the contents of his stomach, which included Hildegard's disgusting cupcake, onto her shoes; how that could've been interpreted as a show of affection for Maggie, in a strange way; Maggie and him spending so much time together at quidditch, and hanging out to chat about Twilight.

"Oh..." he said, finally, in realization. "No!" he then protested, loudly and abruptly, so fervently that he almost dropped his cone. "I didn't ask her to the ball! I just gave her the rose as a friend, honest! I don't think she'd even like me in that way, either!" he blurted, sounding like quite the mess he was. There was no way -- no way at all! that he wanted Vale Ashwood, of all people, to think that he had a crush on Maggie Hawkins. Nothing could be further from the truth, even though he did consider Maggie as his best quidditch friend.

Then, Vale asked the question that he half-dreaded hearing, but fully hoped she would ask. Even in her way of asking, it was so Vale-esque that he couldn't help but crack a grin, despite his nerves. His usually cheery self returned for a split second. "Yeah, you know what, could you please help me dump @Hunter Argentum's body in a ditch somewhere? Maybe bury him in the courtyard with your dolls?" he joked, not knowing where in the world Vale would even bury a body. Because for a time, he had honest to god thought that Hunter and Vale were a thing.

"You know her pretty well, you know," he said, mischievous grin across his small face. He tossed the rest of his cone in his mouth and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. In between chewing, he mumbled, "I'd say, you probably have known her for, what, 13 years now?" he said, raising a brow and looking up at the ceiling.