Outside Looking In PV Nabi Park Closed

Date: 2025.02.08 | Note: Thoughts, Speech |

It had been a few days since the S.N.O.G. event had taken place, chaos and emotions that should not have been winded were now ticking as the seconds went by. Her mind was everywhere and nowhere, observing the herd of people roam around like mindless sheep— all without a care in the world. The whispers of poison at the event had reached Nabi's ears and she had begun to wonder if the rumors did have truth in them, though part of her did not believe such... thing, she was still breathing after all.

She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to put much mind on a petty poison rumor.

The Great Hall was packed with students sitting with friends, topics ranging from the usual gossip to assignments from their classes. The dinner provided was as always... appetizing, serving herself a plate of food, she began to observe everyone. The laughs and voices began to tune into a low whistle as her gray eyes took in the details of every interaction around her. Finding amusement as their movements oddly resembled a marionette.

A Gryffindor would laugh, their hands moving toward their stomach as their head leaned back. Nabi could almost see the strings tied to the student's loose hands, their smile wide enough— she would consider it unnatural. Without the noise, every jerky movement, every tilt of the head, and every smile reminded her of a play.

Only this play was happening in real-time.

In contrast to the exaggerated movements of those around her, Nabi was almost mechanical— precise and with intent.

Careful not to show what she had brewing deep inside.

Her silence and movements may catch an onlooker's attention if they observed well enough, Nabi was quite skilled at blurring into the background. Hearing the sound of a cup tip over, her gaze shifted toward the source of the sound; her eyes meeting those of a young boy she remembered seeing at the S.N.O.G. event. I do not know his name.

He was the boy she saw Prat and Aamon conversing with when she was dragged into the event. In truth, she had not spoken much to anyone at the event before things got out of hand. The kiss and flee were still fresh in her mind, and she felt something deep inside her sink momentarily before pushing away the peculiar feeling.

As the table finished clearing, she looked down and noticed him holding a couple of napkins. Is he clumsy or what? Without a word she took a handful of napkins before extending them to him as her expression remained neutral. Unaware that the boy was the rumored poisoner, she tilted her head slightly, "My apologies but... Have we met before?" She knew the answer to that, but she figured it was a simple courtesy to ask in such a manner.

Date: February 8th 2025

Surprise didn't quite convey the fluttering that played everywhere from his stomach to his toes. Not only was this young snake treating him like a human being but there was an actual hint of compassion to her gesture. Receiving the extra paper towels with a pleasant yet bashful look he quickly made use of them drying the rest of the table and his shirt that was now chilled with the stain of the liquid.

As soon as the girl spoke it became entirely apparent why she was so pleasant, she had no clue who he was or what he was rumoured to be. Of course he should tell her, rip the plaster off and accept his falsely accused criticism, but the level of fatigue he was already experiencing bordered on criminal and he couldn't bare another second of it. Deciding that ignorance was in fact bliss he turned back to the girl and prepared to lie nervously biting his nail while his eyes seemed vacant. When they met the girls own though the lie died on his lips. Matthew didn't have to tell her the truth but lying would only sully any connection they might share.

"Yeah, I think I saw you at the 'SNOG' night before everything went down, hope you were ok." While not an actual lie he felt foolish pretending he wasn't entirely aware she was there. Though remembering that she had some kind of connection to Aamon and knowing them to share a year his palms felt clammy under the present conversation. Letting them soothe in the cooling touch of the wet paper towels Matthew dried his hands on his already wet shirt and tucked them into his pockets before looking at her once again. "Name's Matthew, second year, if you were wondering. If not then, well, I think I've already outdone the extent of how embarrassed I can feel for one day."

In actuality embarrassment didn't cover it, this was simply mortifying. SNOG had been nothing short of cataclysmic, ending with him in more trouble and with more questions than he had entered seeking. The entire thing made him feel ridiculous and now gained him a moniker he wasn't likely to lose anytime soon. Looking back over to the other tables in attempt to hide from the world and the analytical stare of the girl next to him he caught sight of an owl swooping down much later than the rest. Cutting through the air the pearly white creature swiftly departed a letter to an older Hufflepuff student who seemed to watch the letter with apprehension. A distraction he desperately needed.

Something about seeing the older badger's trepidation had him wishing for the worst. A terribly cruel habit but Matthew supposed he just wanted to believe that someone else could be having as shitty a time as himself. Feeling the prying eyes of the girl still firmly resting upon him he felt his finger reactively pull itself from his trousers and point towards his target. "Say, what do you think he's so worried about in that letter? You seem like someone who people watches. 'Takes one to know one' as we say in the muggle world."

Interacting with @Nabi Park

Date: 2025.02.08

Note: Thoughts, Speech

Nabi's head was still tilted, her gaze unwavering as the young boy returned his eyes to her. The silence between them was brief but long enough for her to observe him closely. The way he bit his nails while he seemed to contemplate what to answer... as if there was a correct answer to her question.

Her expression mirrored the look in his eyes— abandoned of any shine, something she could only describe as familiar in his gaze. Perhaps the young slytherins would find kinship in each other.

The young brunette boy spoke, and Nabi had a feeling that the young slytherin was hiding something. Deciding to wait for the right moment, she hummed in response, giving a small nod to his answer. His regard for her well-being did not go unnoticed, He must be referring to the fire... She was sure that no one had seen the quick instance of vulnerability Aamon had caused her after he fled the scene of the crime where her porcelain mask was cracked.

The feeling of a tear escaping her usually cold eyes.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, noticing the hint of tension as the boy shoved his hands in his pockets, I am being paranoid... no one was in the hallway... he did not see me. Her gray eyes followed his every move as he introduced himself, Why would you care if I wondered about your name or not? With a curt hum, she straightened her posture and said, her tone dead, "I was alright, Mr. Matthew..." why would he be embarrassed further?

Before she could ask him how he found the S.N.O.G. event as a subtle way to figure out if he had seen her in the hallway after she left the dormitory, he looked back at the other tables. Nabi had not given the boy her name, yet she continued to observe him as he gazed to the sea of students. The great hall remained undisturbed by the tipping of his glass and unware of the two slytherins who had turmoils of emotions within them— thoughts of the dreaded event that impacted them in different ways.

The cry of an owl can be heard over the sound of the busy great hall, Nabi noticed the boy point in the direction he was looking. Has he never seen an owl? she glanced at the direction he was pointing, expecting to see the owl from which the cry had emitted from; to her amusement she saw a hufflepuff student looking down at a letter in his hands and Matthew spoke. His question hung in the air as she took in the look on the young hufflepuff's face, humming softly in thought, takes one to know one? what an odd saying... we? oh... you are a muggleborn.

Her eyes flickered to Matthew momentarily before looking back at the hufflepuff, who seemed to have received rather... displeasing news. She tilted her head in thought, watching as a slight frown played on the hufflepuff, Anything could have such an effect... The young hufflepuff's shoulders slumped down like a dropped marionette.

His head looked down at the plate of food in front of him, it appears his strings were cut.

Nabi looked at Matthew, "He must have received a bad grade for a class"; her expression was blank. Was she correct? Merlin knew if she was. Nabi did not know if Matthew was asking for a genuine answer or a dramatized version of a made-up reason. Yet, as she continued to look at Matthew, something told her to entertain the conversation for a moment longer.

Matthew is an observer, she knew that.

Heed laced into her every word as she raised an eyebrow slightly, "what did you guess, Mr. Matthew?" The great hall continued to run in chaos; laughter and conversations were loud around them while Nabi looked at him.

The play was changing...

Morphing into a new play the two slytherins would soon begin to write.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small group of ravenclaw girls talking to each other. Giggling and whispering, eyeing the Gryffindor table. The hint of a playful glint in her eyes shined as she said calmly whilst gesturing toward the group, "What do you think the young ravenclaws are conspiring?"

Nabi looked at Matthew, the young ravenclaws unaware of the two slytherins giving them a role in their version of a play. The strings tightened as Matthew began to think; Nabi could almost see the stage forming in his eyes.

A faint smirk played at the corners of her mouth.

Let the play commence.

Date: February 8th 2025

For the briefest of moments Matthew wondered over the flicker of the young girls eyes. Having already examined her as a fellow observer he couldn't resist the question within his mind, what did she think of him? An answer he would likely never get an answer to and in earnest it hardly matter given his own insecurities would always take precedence but still he wondered. A girl so reserved, sophisticated and proper sitting with the boy who felt most at home in mismatched socks. They were a parallel, heading towards the same direction but on different paths, told never to intersect but rewriting their own paths. Authors of their own story.

Intrigued by her willingness to play alone Matthew quirked his head back towards the boy he had targeted under their prying eyes. Narrowing his own dark brown pupils the light caught his golden flecks and what typically resembled prey, stalked as predator. "Looks like the face of an entitled, rich kid getting cut off of his inheritance. Nothing like you I suppose miss..." Shifting his glower towards the girl with a smirk full of mischief and curiosity. For one with such formalities to refer to him as Mr he had been surprised to not have learned her name and was not about to pass up the opportunity.

Rather than answer the girl simply met his stare with a playful danger of her own. It made sense after all, for they were but the directors orchestrating the play, they did not participate, had no need to act. Simple observers narrating the poetry of life that so willingly displayed itself to them. Well fine, he thought. If they are to be the puppet masters he should at least deliver with some creativity, after all a girl so proper likely lacked the kind of flare dancing with the lower class offers. "Undoubtedly revenge," he offered tone entirely neutral with a face compelling his words as fact.

The best part about growing up muggle was undoubtedly cinema. It boggled the mind to think that wizardry could be so far behind technologically speaking but that was a tangent he would rather not delve into while his brain was already in sufferings of self loathing. No instead he would focus on the theatrical envisioning and use movies as his basis. Thus with all the confidence and mischief of the trickster god loki he continued on smirking throughout envigored by her playful eyes. "I've seen it before with John Tucker; those three have just discovered that he was dating them all at the same time and are plotting the best way to get their revenge. It's classic rom-com - eh classic Gryffindor behaviour. Or so I hear."

In truth it didn't matter if the girl believed him, in fact he was pretty sure it wouldn't matter to her either. From these seats whatever words they spoke were gospel, every student a character and every object a prop for them to manipulate. It was all in good jest and it was all for their enjoyment. Reality mattered little on the stage, and such escape made his breath lighten for the smallest of moments. In this world they were creating nothing else mattered and their mistakes meant nothing. It was a rewrite, a retelling of the story, and this time Matt had control. Pointing excitedly he guided her gaze towards an elder boy sat further down their table whispering to his pet snake like a crazed lunatic; then shifted to the ceiling where a ghostly woman drifted through the candles singing a sweet lullaby. "Take your pick, the scene is yours, Miss... tery" A truly awful pun of mystery that revealed his quiet soul beneath the tricks.

Interacting with @Nabi Park