Closed Not again PV Allen Kristiansen

"Umm, hi- sorry..."
Irina's heart dropped as the boy approached. Of all the people to see her in such a helpless state, it had to be a guy. She was lying on her back, jeans ripped and hair so full of twigs she could have been a tree herself. It was not the first impression she would have liked.

Irina didn't have any problems against boys in general but it had been her experience that they often offered help cause it was cool to 'save the damsel in distress.' Someone had once called her that when she got stuck in a fence . . . she may or may not have accidentally caused his hair to go lime green. She didn't want assistance from boys as she believed she was perfectly capable of helping herself. Why grow someone's ego when you could grow your own strength?
Under normal circumstances, she would have snapped at the boy and told him to bog off, but she didn't know this guy 'and,' she thought, 'to be honest, he looks kinda sweet. First Year maybe?'

Irina pulled herself up into a sitting position as the boy bent down to look her in the eye. Her irritation cringed slightly - bending down made her feel even more helpless.
"Are you alright?"
Irina raised her eyebrow, forcing a small smile onto her face. "Yeah, just dandy, thanks for asking."She could see he already felt stupid for asking the question but she couldn't help but respond.

"Can you stand up? You can take my hand if you need to." The boy gave a small smile, so devoid of arrogance that Irina forced herself to rethink her cutting remarks. He was just trying to help.
"I'm fine," she said airily, waving a hand as she pushed herself towards the tree. "It looks worse than it is."
She once again pulled herself up by the treebranch and took a tentative step forwards. The flash of pain was sudden but expected, and she managed to stifle the small yelp. She was not however, able to stop herself from falling to the ground as once more her leg collapsed underneath her.
"Okay," sh groaned, closing her eyes, "Maybe it is as bad as it looks."

She sat up, back against the tree and opened her eyes, glancing quickly at the boy before looking away again. "I'm Irina by the way. Second Year. Sorry you had to find me in this . . . situation."

Irina mentally berated herself, angry that she had gotten herself into this situation. 'How hard is it to just not fall out of a tree?' She could see the concern plastered across she boy's face as he sat watching her, clearly unsure of what he should do.

"I'm Allen, it's still nice to meet you." He gave her a little smile, still unsure. Irina smiled back, a little more feebly than normal but one filled with confidence. "Nice to meet you too."
To her surprise, Irina found her irritation at the boy dwindle completely, replaced by a growing warmth - he was actually being kind of sweet. 'Oh stop it,' she thought to herself, trying to smother the feeling with scorn, 'He's probably just as pigheaded as all the other guys who try and "help me."'

"It must be painful to walk like that. Would you like me to help you go to the hospital wing?"

Irina stared at him for a moment, uncertain about how she should respond. Being helped by a guys was the last thing she wanted, but on the other hand, it was clear she could do no more than hop in the state her leg was in. And Allen really was being very friendly.
Her pride won however and she responded, "You know what, I'm gonna chill here for a while, see if a little time won't stop the pain." She knew she was wrong - she had had plenty of experience to know that an injury like this needed the Hospital Wing. But she didn't wand to say that.

"So, um. . ." She paused to think of something to say. "You're first year, right? How're you finding Hogwarts?"

His kindness surprised Irina yet again as he sat down without complaint, legs crossed and face composed. "Alright, if that's what you prefer,"

As she changed the subject, asking about Hogwarts, Irina observed Allen, watching his expressions and mannerisms, listening to his tone. It was the only time she was ever observant - when meeting someone for the first time. As he answered, Allan gave a firm nod, saying, "Things are going better than I expected. Everyone I've met so far has been very nice."

Irina laughed and nodded too. "Yup, you can't find an atmosphere like this anywhere else." Irina wondered whether his ability to be so kind had something to do with being a Hufflepuff. The thought was immedietely dismissed as she reminded herself that Houses didn't limit your abilities and qualities. The other day her sister had been saying, "You, know, I don't think it's our qualities that assign us to houses, it's more the qualities we admire most in others."

Irina had pondered this for a long time, mulling over the qualities she wanted most in a friend. Connection. Loyalty. Passion. Warmth. Courage. Honesty. No wonder the Sorting Hat had had a hard choice between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

Irina shook her head lightly to awaken herself from her revery, noticing as she did that Allen looked very comfortable talking - maybe he enjoyed this kind of conversation.
"...are you sure you don't want to see the nurse right away?"
His tone was laced with concern again and she could see an air of worry as he asked. She looked down at her injury and gritted her teeth.
'Buckle up your pride girly. You need his help and you know it.'
She looked up with a grimace. "Alright then. Might as well get it over with." She paused again as she got ready to pull herself up, eyes closed as she braced herself for yet another knock to her pride.
"Allen, I - I reckon I'm gonna need some help getting up . . . and walking . . . and then getting to the Hospital Wing. So, errrrm - could I have some help? Please," she added hastily.