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It was a sinking realization when he woke up today that this would be the first time he'd arrive in Diagon alley completely alone. He felt like he should've already gotten used to this. The subtle whispers of past conversations in his head playing on loop. The imaginary ghosts that he sees at the corner of his eye, displaying 2 friends. Even if that one word 'friends' seems like a word too small to describe them.

Before he came today, he told himself not to look at too much things. Just keep his head barely on the ground. Rely on the fact that most people evade him when he walks to stay focused. Just get what he needed and go. Alas, that didn't work out. Finding himself standing for minutes, just staring at a memories of a past he fought with himself about wanting to go back. And one particular scene, he felt he just did so to torture himself.

Except the horrible reality that it wasn't a figment of his imagination. There he was, the person that had been haunting his mind for months. In the flesh. Just with someone new. Sara didnt think twice before turning around and walking away. Not even noticing how fast paced he walked until he felt his broad shoulder collide with another. Snapping himself out of his thoughts, "O-oh.. I'm sorry.. I didn't see you.. " he mumbled in english, guilt and tension etched in his tone as he made himself stay to slightly bow to the person he bumped.

@Kit Paine

As someone who had the stealth and grace of a cat - not to mention being a metamorphmagus - Kit was used to not being seen or noticed by the general masses and generally preferred it that way. It had been something ingrained in him by his parents since he'd been an infant; that they wanted him to blend in and seem 'normal' rather than stand out and draw attention to himself for fear that he would draw all the wrong attention. As a result, despite his mismatched eyes, face tattoos, various piercings, and unconventional clothing for a wizard, Kit had learned to blend in among others he was around rather well.

Thus, it was no surprise to him that the student who immediately apologized for bumping into him hadn't seen him. What was surprising to Kit was that he hadn't seen or even sensed the student, particularly a student emanating a presence like that. It was dauntingly terrifying while simultaneously almost ethereal, like the young man had no business existing in real life rather than merely as an illustration because he seemed too good to be true.

"You're alright," he had said at first. Then, upon seeing the fellow's face, "Whoa, hey! What an interesting face you have." Smiling, the artist regarded the student with an intrigued look. "Mind if I draw you real quick?"

@Sara Kohana

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Sara couldn't fully fight off the immediate frown forming on his face at the question. Out of all the things he could deal with right now.. why this? The guilt of wishing the other just said what normal people said, like ' no worries, you're good', almost made him more sick than he already did. He could still very well recall what she looked like next to Yami. It took everything in him not to nitpick everything he had and lead his mind to comparing them with her. But with the strangers question, Sara decided that if he couldn't fully stop thinking about how he looked, might at well divert it to a different direction. " ... I-interesting face..?.." he looked down at his shoes, grateful for the strangers tall height so it makes it easy to hide his face.

If anyone looked interesting it was the other person. He seemed like the perfect walking heart attack for his conservative population in his hometown. Sara's eyes tensed at the strangers smiling gaze, feeling ashamed at wondering if the other was good at faking it. Who'd smile at this face? Sara couldn't remember at the moment for the life of him.

"T-theres not a lot of things.. that interesting about my face.. Other people may be better for you to draw."

@Kit Paine

Kit had gotten turned down and rejected plenty of times before when he'd asked people if he could draw them, but never for a reason like the one this teenager gave. That there wasn't a lot of things interesting about his face? Even though Kit had remarked he thought there was? It only made him want to capture them in a portrait all the more and make their owner realize just how remarkable he really was. How could he not know? Did he just avoid looking in a mirror, or was he so used to his own looks he had grown desensitized to their impact and had no idea what their effect was like one someone meeting him for the first time?

Smiling, the artist gently used the side of his knuckle to nudge the downcast chin upward in order to get the young man to look back up at him once more. "Sure there is," he insisted, his smile softer and mellow this time. "Why wouldn't you think so?"

It suddenly occurred to Kit - and he wanted to slap himself for not having realized it sooner - that there might have been more going on in the teenager's life just then in order to cause him to say that than just what he thought he looked like superficially. He peered into his eyes as if he could read the answer written there, curious.

@Sara Kohana

He was not one to be comfortable with touch, as easily as others did. While he could bring up Japan's general conservative nature, he knew many of his peers to not think too much about being touched. And at some point Sara thought he too didn't need to mind when receiving or initiating touch with others. But he would be reminded immediately how that era had long past when the other used his knuckle to ensure sara met his eyes again.

This goes beyond a stranger getting too close and acting too familiar. It was like someone was intentionally touching a dirty rug. And he didn't knew why. Especially not now when he felt not only dirty, but used. set aside, for something new. Better. Even if part of him knew that wasn't what happened with Yami, seeing the other with the girl gave strength to parts of him he felt awful about feeding. And yet all it looked to sara was the most logical fact in the world. And how the way he ever hoped it wasn't- was his own naiveness


Even with the others gaze peering into him, Sara couldn't meet his gaze. " I ... I just... might .. make you uncomfortable.. the longer you look at me.. thats all.."

When the teen said he thought he might make Kit more uncomfortable the longer he looked at him, he at first thought he was using it as an excuse to avoid admitting that Kit was making him uncomfortable. However, even though he didn't meet Kit's gaze, he didn't pull away, either, causing Kit to believe that theory of his was false. Anyone who would have found Kit's touch to be discomforting would have very likely rejected it immediately, but this youth hadn't. Perhaps he really did consider himself the problem between the two of them. But what must he have experienced to think that of himself, especially in comparison to someone who tended to forget personal space and boundaries?

Poor kid, Kit thought. But if what he had said had been spoken out of genuine concern for Kit as a stranger, he had a heck of a heart. The artist chuckled softly.

"Kind of you to think that. But I don't think I can ignore someone with an expression like that. And there's no way you could make me uncomfortable if you'd let me try to help."

Dropping his hand from the student's chin, he asked, "Will you let me try to draw you?"

@Sara Kohana

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The word 'kind' felt like a description Sara couldn't accept at the moment. How could he think so when all these awful thoughts were swirling in his head. The unjustified ache in his chest while part of him couldn't help but wished he never saw the scene. That he was so tempted to think so negatively of a girl whose name he didn't even know, who's voice he never heard, and had only seen once. Primarily focused on the fact that potentially, she had everything Yami preferred. If he was kind, he wouldn't be thinking about this. and only focus on the fact that Yami seemed happy now. But he couldn't. So how was the stranger supposed to know this? Sara decided not to bring it up, as it may lead to questions he didnt know how to answer.

The stranger, to Sara's surprise still asked if he could be drawn. His shoulders tensed for a moment at the idea of being looked at for so long. He was tempted to ask just what about his expression that was worth looking at. In the end, he nodded gently. " O.. okay.. should I.. um.. would you like to be paid...? "

@Kit Paine

Kit almost laughed at the question asked of him, but he guessed that wouldn’t have been a good idea with this particular young man, especially in the contemplative state he seemed to be in. He might have overthought it and believed Kit was laughing at him for some reason or something similar. So instead, he said, "It would be payment enough to be allowed to draw you. And...if you wouldn't mind telling me what's wrong."

Glancing around the Leaky Cauldron, the artist noticed an empty pub bench and gestured to it. "Would you please sit with me?" and then, because he didn't want the kid to feel pressured by him, added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable doing that, though."

He wondered if the guy knew how obvious it was that there was something troubling him, but he doubted it. Troubled people were usually too occupied with whatever was on their mind to realize how obvious they could seem to others. Which wasn't his fault, of course. But it did, however, make Kit quite curious. And when Kit was curious, he got nosy.

Being nosy sometimes paid off, though, because sometimes even when people didn't know it, they wanted help. Kit had come to try to teach himself how to recognize those silent cries for help when he could, but also to notice when his help truly wasn't wanted. If the teenager wanted to talk about what troubled him, Kit would gladly listen and help if he could. But if he decided to keep quiet about that, the artist could respect that and simply draw without prying any more than he already had.

@Sara Kohana

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The first question already made Sara tense up. He hadn't talked to anyone about his thoughts regarding the navy robed boy. Not in great detail at least. He had always been fearful of their reactions. Besides, it would only burden people. Who would want to hear some teen boy - a stranger no less- whine and complain about something that was entirely his fault?

" O-oh.. you.. can tell.. can't you...." Sara sighed. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to say no immediately. Was it because this person was a stranger? Perhaps from how the other could tell immediately that something bothered him. Which was.. rare in a way. He felt he always looked like something soured his mood. His emotions often mistaken due to his resting expression. It might also be the way that despite how angry Sara knew he looked now, the other still.. had that gentleness to him. Would someone fake his much kindness for just a drawing? Sara didn't know. But Sara nodded at his offer and hesitantly sat down at the bench the other gestured to.

Sitting across him, Sara kept his gaze on the table. Silent for a moment before he spoke up, his hands under the table. " I ..its.. just.. silly.. I saw someone I... didn't want to bump into.."

@Kit Paine

"Of course," Kit answered, though not unkindly. "Don't get me wrong; you've got a pretty face. Almost unnaturally pretty, even. But it was the expression on it that captured my attention." Grinning, he continued, "I'm an artist; a portrait painter, specifically. It's my job to notice these things."

Not to mention the fact of how being a metamorphmagus also ended up causing him to observe even the smallest nuances about people from their unconscious mannerisms to the most obscure details of their appearances. Picking up details to know how to shapeshift into someone as accurately as possible was just something you did when you had a habit of impersonating someone else. Not that Kit did that often, but the fact that he could had caused him to do his best to hone his skills regarding that ability just in case. And if it also helped him portray people more accurately when he painted or drew them, he wasn't about to complain.

Seating himself beside the student, Kit took out his sketchbook and began to sketch out his new conversation partner's features. Sure, they may have looked angry to the untrained eye, but Kit had studied faces long enough to know which muscles tended to contract and grow taut in a face when someone was truly angry. He could tell this teen was simply upset, though from his words, it didn't sound quite like he blamed anyone, exactly. At least not anyone outside of himself.

"May I ask who you saw that you didn't want to see...and maybe why? Or would you rather not talk about it?"

@Sara Kohana