|
Post by Rister Graas S6 on Sept 9, 2018 15:17:41 GMT -5
It's about two and half a weeks into the year when Rister rounds the corner on his way to dinner and comes across a hexed Pip. It was bound to happen sooner or later – it happened to everyone – and while Pip certainly had the character for the Slytherin house, he didn't quite have that arsenal of hexes or the family tree to back him up yet. Just as evident as the hex was the tension in Pip's shoulders though and the way his hands were clenched into tight fists.
It was a good thing that Rister had plenty of younger brothers, with whom he had gone through the same really. Except not because none of his siblings would ever hesitate to turn to Rister for help or comfort. Whereas for Pip it was quite evidently a struggle to even contemplate asking. The boy certainly had his pride. What would he have wanted in this situation? OR rather what he himself had done was probably the better question Rister thought. So he kept his face calm and his steps even as he headed down the hallway to come to a stop before the younger boy. With a thoughtful sound, he lifted a hand to nudge Pip's head to the side with an index finger under his chin. “The Cassis Rufa hex. Well, if you can call it that. Very old-fashioned and not particularly well cast. For it to be cast properly you need to finish it off with a flourish,” he mused out loud. The flourish had probably been left off to hide the caster's identity for plausible deniability – the flourish at the end had been used to mark the casters family tree after all. And the old-fashioned nature of the hex would ensure that a first year who hadn't been raised in the wizarding world would struggle to find the counter-spell.
“I can teach you how to cast it properly after dinner if you want, but for now,” not drawing his own wand, Rister let go of Pip's chin and raised his hand instead, drafting out the movement for the counter spell with his index finger while also enunciating the counter-hex, before nodding at Pip to try it. It took a couple of attempts – Rister correcting Pip's pronunciation and wand movement quickly before the spell took hold. It wasn't quite strong enough, not yet, but it would do the job. “Better. That worked. Put a bit more conviction in it. Or two, maybe three, more casts and you'll be fine,” Rister advised, dropping his hand on Pip's shoulder for a friendly little squeeze, before starting again towards the Great Hall. Slow enough that Pip could recast the spell and then catch up before Rister got to the other end of the hallway if he wanted. “Coming? ?By the way, have you found the kitchens yet, in case you ever miss dinner?” he asked over his shoulder, “Regardless, there's a spell I promised to teach Leandra as well so you two can figure out over dinner if there's any other spells I can get you two started on over dinner.” Plus Damon and Leandra were the best at finding information. And Rister did want to know who had cast the hex and why.
|
|
|
Post by Philip Garwin on Sept 9, 2018 15:52:07 GMT -5
It isn't fair. Pip seethes as he suffers through the hex, focusing on his anger because the alternative is giving into the tears burning at the back of his eyes. He hasn't done anything wrong, except apparently existing. Somehow it seems that alone is enough to justify such treatment from other members of his own House. The anger flares in his chest, a small spark that he draws close and nurtures bitterly. He's going to be better than this, he swears, swallowing past the lump in his throat. This isn’t ever going to happen to him again. Merry had made Hogwarts sound like such a fun, magical place. Pip almost hates her for spinning that tale, for making it such a believable lie that both he and Rosa had swallowed so easily.
The conflicting initial reaction to seeing Rister's approach isn't unfamiliar. Pip had grown used to it during the summer, although the shame he feels at the older boy seeing him in this state is new. He can’t decide if he wants Rister to go away or if he's grateful for his presence but Rister takes the decision out of his hands, gently turning his head to examine the damage. Pip submits to the inspection, tightening his jaw against the renewed urge to begin crying. He isn’t a child, to sob out his hurt and anger to someone older as if they can possibly fix his problems for him.
It takes him a few tries to fully reverse the effects of the hex, and then a long moment of indecision before he chases after Rister to fall in step with him. “You'll teach me?” Pip checks, dark gaze almost distrustful but yearning for confirmation that he can trust Rister even when the rest of the House seems to object to him for reasons beyond Pip's control. “You'll give me a way to fight back when this happens again? Why?”
|
|
|
Post by Rister Graas S6 on Sept 9, 2018 16:30:20 GMT -5
Rister pauses to wait for Pip as he hears the dashing footsteps chasing him. A quick glance shows that Pip has managed to get rid of the hex, so Rister allows his lip corners to quirk upwards slightly as he gives an approving nod. Absently dropping a friendly hand on Pip's opposite shoulder – an easy enough gesture, meant to offer an encourage that came naturally – he left his hand resting on the younger boys shoulder as he started towards the Great Hall again.
“Yes,” Rister says simply, glancing down to calmly meet Pip's gaze, “If you want to learn, I can teach you. I've taught my brothers and my sisters – still do teach them at times, especially Leandra and Morgana. I was taught a few tricks when I first started as well. I can teach you just the same.” Rister glances down consideringly at the boy.
“Slytherin isn't an easy house. It's one that will poke and prod you and one where just about anything is a challenge. But if you can rise to the challenge, then Slytherins will make for the best friends, the most loyal ones. Ones who really will be with you through the thick and thin,” Rister mused thoughtfully. It was something few people understood about the house. You had to earn the respect and the friendship but once you had it, you had it for life. For generations sometimes. “I would like to think we became friends this summer. Got the point of starting to become friends at least,” Rister says with a small shrug, “I like you, kid. So why wouldn't I give you a quick leg-up with a few hexes and jinxes you can keep up your sleeve should you need them.”
|
|
|
Post by Philip Garwin on Oct 5, 2018 14:49:36 GMT -5
Pip had hesitated over taking Rister up on his offer - he had hesitated and contemplated the pros and cons of it all but in the end he had swallowed his pride. Survival trumps pride, Pip is starting to learn, at least sometimes. He’s not always the quickest learner but he has decent enough instincts, as he’s starting to figure out.
Those instincts have him stepping rapidly to the left, three hasty steps which betray his fear of being hit by the unfamiliar hex but nevertheless keep him clear of the violet streak of light. His opponent is clearly growing frustrated by his inability to hit Pip, who is young and should be an easy target except that he's quick and has someone inexplicably interested in his welfare, and Pip is only too happy to take advantage of the opening to return the hex that the boy had originally sent his way, the hex which had started his lessons with Rister. This hex, executed far better than the one which had been sent at Pip himself, ends the duel in Pip's favour and his brown eyes, bright with triumph and adrenaline and perhaps a hint of bloodthirsty vindication, automatically seek out the tall seventh year amidst the onlookers who had gathered to watch the show. Instead his gaze finds his sister, whose expression is so disappointed that all of the excitement at his victory drains out of him immediately.
He follows when Merry jerks her head stiffly, lips pressed together thinly with barely contained anger. She keeps silent until they’re alone in an empty classroom, which is a small blessing, but Pip keeps his head bowed throughout the lecture about how he shouldn’t be duelling in corridors and how irresponsible he is and how she expected better. This is nothing unusual from his older sister, nothing he doesn’t expect or can’t handle, at least until she sighs and murmurs something about Slytherin being the worst possible placement for him. That brings his head up immediately, dark eyes burning with rage as he stares her down. Pip has worked so hard to carve out the start of a place for himself in his House and he’s not doing too badly so far. He doesn’t need Merry's judgement about something she has absolutely no clue about. She has no idea how hard it is in the Slytherin House for a half-blood, how incredibly difficult it is to earn a place there.
“You're not Mum,” he hisses eventually, furious and hurt because this is his older sister, the girl who has always been on his side and looking out for him, and she has no idea what it means that, right now, he thinks Rister Graas understands him more than she does. That irrational sense of betrayal stings at him, turns his voice venomous and biting. “You don’t get to stand there and tell me how disappointed you are in me, as if you have any idea what just happened. Stick to your Hufflepuff friends and stop judging me as if I should do everything like you would. I'm not you.”
Merry blinks at him, clearly stricken by either his words or his tone, and Pip takes the opportunity to stomp out of the classroom, just barely deciding against slamming the door behind him. It isn’t the door he’s angry with, after all. He ends up finding Rister without even trying, anger still burning in the depths of his dark gaze as he stops in front of the teenager, paying no attention to Lita or Rister's siblings gathered near him. “Anything else you have to teach me, I want to know,” he declares, quiet and fierce. “Anything. Everything. I want to learn.”
|
|
|
Post by Rister Graas S6 on Oct 15, 2018 13:20:02 GMT -5
Pip did well. Very well, Damon noted approvingly from where he had chosen a viewpoint as far as possible from the ongoing duel so that he would have an excusable reason of having been too far to interfere as a Prefect. Which wasn’t difficult really as a fair amount of students had shown up to watch, the great majority of them of them Slytherins. People were curious as to how the first year half-blood would acquit himself - house politics were alive and well inside Slytherin after all. But Pip was certainly putting his best foot forward. The training sessions had paid off. And of course Rister had carefully chosen the spells to start Pip off on with just this duel in mind. Most wizards and witches tended to be a bit set in their ways when it came to casting after all and in their third year even purebloods still had a fairly limited bank of spells in their repertoire. There was still plenty of work ahead, but winning this duel against a third year pureblood was certainly a feather in his cap. And would hopefully make his life a fair bit easier. Probably wouldn't hurt that the older and more thoughtful Slytherins would be able to guess at Rister's hand behind as well – nor had the Graas' made any secret of the association with the kid.
But that was for Rister to worry about – he was the one who had been brought up to read people. And for all that Damon was good at putting little snippets together into facts, Rister was the one who tended to put those facts together into logic and motivation and emotions. So when Rister caught his eye across from down the hallway, where he had been watching the duel, Damon paused. And as a tilt of Rister's head guided him to follow Pip leaving with his sister, he followed. He had been planning to slip into crowd to gather some of those snippets, but if Rister thought it worth following the Garwins then Damon was willing to take him at his word.
It took a bit of work to slip through the crowd without loosing sight of the Garwins, but thankfully it also meant that they weren't paying attention to Damon following. Not that he followed them into the room they stepped in. Nor did Damon do anything as uncouth as eavesdrop at the door. But innocent little Hufflepuffs and young Slythie's didn't cast silencing wards, so Damon walked a few steps past the doorway so that he would be hidden from immediate view if the door opened and then leaned onto the window-sill there. He wouldn't be able to distinguish any actual words, but the timbre of voices could be telling enough. As was Pip's exit, even if Damon had to mentally applaud the kid for not slamming the door. Humming a thoughtful note under his breath – rather tunelessly really – Damon watched Pip head down the hallway before pushing off from the windowsill to follow, casting just one thoughtful and admittedly judging glance at the door the kid had closed in passing.
It wasn't entirely surprising to see that Pip had gone in search of Rister. For all that the boy would argue against it with his every breath, he had somewhat imprinted on his older brother Damon noted. And Rister liked the kid as well, as he murmured an accepting “Alright” in response to whatever Pip's request for more lessons. “Ashlyn would insist on including some traditional spells and casts – and wards -, even if they don't usually see much use in duelling,” Damon interjected, his eyes meeting Rister's for a moment. He suspected Rister could guess what he had heard, but Damon had to wonder what was going on in his brother's head. He had been the one to send Damon to follow and he suspected Rister might ask for more information later on, but for now all that his older brother did was tilt his head to the side and offer an accepting blink. Putting that out of of his head, Damon rounded the edge of the couch to drop down onto it, reaching out a hand to tug Pip to sit down next to him.
“Now, as a Prefect, I cannot approve duelling in hallways, so that will be 15 House points docked from Slytherin,” Damon told Pip with a small quirk of his lip-corner and his snootiest tone of voice. Pausing just enough time for Gabriel, who had perched himself on the armrest on the other side of Pip, to lean closer to the kid and offer a translation of Damon's point: “Professors tend to not like duelling in public, but if anyone asks you can now assure them you have received your punishment already.” “However for outstanding knowledge of spells and excellent casting, I will award 20 points to Slytherin,” Damon continued with a nod and an approving grin. And really, Damon had been elected as a Prefect, he might as well make use of the position. Even if he suspected the professors had chosen him as a Prefect in the faint hope that he might tame his brothers.
“Agreed. That was awesome – well done, kid,” Gabriel agreed with a grin, nudging at Pip's shoulders and extending his hand for a congratulatory fist-pump, as the Graas' enveloped the kid. Pip had certainly earned the chance to celebrate his victory in friendly company. And it had been a good duel. Some of the spells, like the Cassis Rufa itself, had been challenging but Pip had shone.
|
|
|
Post by Philip Garwin on Oct 15, 2018 14:05:26 GMT -5
Pip will never admit to the tears prickling at the back of his eyes as he leaves his sister behind. He’ll never admit to it, but it hurts that Merry is so quick to condemn him and so unwilling to even try to understand. She’s the only one of his older siblings that Pip has any real relationship with; Kali, Tyler, and Reid had all been in Hogwarts before Pip's second birthday so they had never been around during his childhood for any real length of time. His parents probably wouldn’t care to hear it but neither Pip or Rosa have any great love for their three eldest siblings, certainly not the way they do for Merry who has been a constant presence either in person or through letters. So yes, her judgement stings, like a splinter buried so deeply beneath his skin that he can't manage to pull it out.
He does take a moment to stop and collect his breathing though, ducking into an alcove to rub his sleeve across his eyes roughly. He has his mother's eyes, deep and dark brown rather than their father's softer hazel, the only one of all six children. He thinks Kali and Reid may have her bone structure, and Merry has certainly inherited her sharpness when displeased. Rosa and Tyler both have their mother's hair; soft, dark curls with no hint of the auburn-touched light brown from their dad. Pip just has her eyes, he thinks. Her eyes and possibly her temperament.
Pip lets himself be tugged down onto the couch without protest, although that rapidly changes when Damon takes points from Slytherin. He turns to the older boy with a frown, dismayed and confused and maybe a little hurt. Rister and Ashlyn had been the ones to teach him pretty much every spell he used in that duel; how could Damon possibly be acting like Merry right now? Gabriel's quick explanation and Damon's follow-up comment bring a grin back to his face though, the glee and triumph he had felt after the duel slowly beginning to wash away his sister's disapproval. “Only five points for winning?” Pip arches an eyebrow at Damon doubtfully. “That's a bit mean, Damon. He was two years older than me, after all. That deserves ten points at least.”
“You really think so?” Pip asks with a bright smile, his delight clear as he looks up at Gabriel, and then flicks his eyes across to Rister hopefully. “I really did a good job?” Pip asks again, more quietly this time, his enjoyment still marred by the memory of his sister's expression.
|
|
|
Post by Rister Graas S6 on Oct 15, 2018 14:28:45 GMT -5
“You think? We-ell, perhaps. It was a good bit of wandwork there,” Damon wonders with open amusement at Pip's bargaining, drumming his fingers once against his knee as his considers. The sudden flurry of points might be harder to explain, but Pip does have a point. “If you're cooking the books, you might as well be brazen about it,” Rister advises with a slight smirk as his brother's eyes flicker his way. He suspects that the professors won't actually look too deeply into it. Slytherin House still has a reputation and it's the younger kid that came out on top. “Ach, very well then!” Damon cries while throwing his arms up dramaticall, “Shall we call it a round third then? Five additional points for Slytherin for study into traditionalist spellwork and further five for an inquisitive and agile mind.” Rister merely smiles at this, before giving a slight shake of his head when Pip looks set to argue the points further: “Don't push it, kid.”
Rister considers Pip for a moment as he asks about the duel, but then answers honestly. He had agreed to teach, which means he also needs to point out weaknesses. “Your pronounciation for Tallegra was off and the spell was fuzzy. That will need work. But I liked that you moved on from that and also kept moving. Few people do that, but it would be a strength of yours to develop as long as you have the agility and lung capacity to pull it off. Nothing is sillier than a wizard incapable of casting a spell in a duel because they are gasping for air. Maybe go running with Morgana sometime or swimming with Damon,” Rister mused out loud. But it would take someone far less intuitive about people than Rister is to not see how desperately the kid. And encouragement and praise were needed as well.
“Yeah,” Rister agrees, withdrawing arm from around Lita's shoulders to lean forward to offer his own fist-pump to Pip alongside with one of his rare honest grins, “You did well, kid. Better than I could have hoped for. And that Cassis Rufa was night impeccable. You might just have a knack for duelling, once we've expanded your spell repertoire a bit further - and that's pretty rare.”
|
|
|
Post by Philip Garwin on Oct 15, 2018 15:05:42 GMT -5
The brightness of the kid's smile is almost blinding in its sincerity, Lita notes with quiet amusement. He looks relaxed and happy as he soaks up the warmth that the three Graas brothers surround him with, a far cry from the young boy who had almost been shaking with anger and unhappiness when he had approached them. Lita doesn’t know what had been said but she had seen Meredith Garwin pull her brother aside after the duel and she had recognised the expression on his face when he had returned. She’s seen it glowering back defiantly at her from the mirror countless times, after arguments with Adrian or Rister. He's felt the brunt of his sibling's displeasure and it had been threatening to fester within him.
Pip nods, grimacing self-deprecatingly. That spell had been possibly his worst in the entire duel, an almost laughable attempt which he had somewhat redeemed after casting Cassis Rufa to end the duel. He’ll need to work on that one a bit more, and certainly Ashlyn would force him to do so even if he didn’t want to. For someone who is so gentle with her cousin, the blonde has a sharp tongue and an immovable will. Pip never wants to be on the wrong side of her temper. “I don’t really like swimming,” he demurs hesitantly, “but do you think Morgana would mind if I tagged along when she runs sometimes?”
“You did your teachers proud, kiddo,” Lita affirms, amused once more by Pip's evident pride in his achievement. The kid had been pleased with Damon's and Gabriel's praises but he practically lights up under Rister's grin. She hasn’t seen anyone so pleased with a compliment since the first time Layla played the guitar for them. Speaking of blondes...Lita pointedly flicks her gaze to Damon and then to the space beside him, conspicuously absent of a prickly blonde Gryffindor. She has something to do while Pip is happily occupied with Rister, and she rather thinks Ashlyn, who has taken a liking to Pip, would certainly take enjoyment in being included.
|
|
|
Post by Rister Graas S6 on Oct 16, 2018 13:09:12 GMT -5
“Morgana would love some company. She does complain that none of us go with her,” Rister confirmed with an easy shrug. Although that had a fair amount to do with the fact that Morgana was fast and had a werewolf's stamina to back her up. She would need to slow down for any of her siblings just the same as she would for Pip – as well as shortening the distance – but she'd like having company anyway. “So be careful as to how enthusiastic you appear about it or you'll be dragged out of your bed every morning at five and every day before dinner for a lap or two around the lake.”
Rister watches Lita's quiet interaction with Damon and the pointed nod to his side quietly. Lita is as protective of an older sibling as Rister can be, even if she tends to complain about Rister plaaying the older brother with her as well. And they have been friends for years so Rister can well guess at what's going on in her head when she asks after Ashlyn. “She's in the empty classroom next to the library. Aunt Dana sent a copy of the manuscript she had been after, so she's commandeered Leandra to pick at her grasp of Latin and Egyptian as well,” Damon provided the guidance after a moment anyway.
“I think we need a celebratory dinner though to commemorate Pip's first duel. Rister's paying,” Gabriel said instead, rubbing his hands together gleefully, “I'm going to order the entire tray of desserts for all 12 courses.” “You just don't want to walk down to Hogsmeade to alone to catch your portkey,” Rister accused mildly, before shrugging, “I have an evening class tonight, but we can certainly head out the day Friday evening or make a day of it on Saturday. Pip, you might need your mother's approval for you be allowed to leave on my responsibility though. Feel free to borrow my eagle-owl to ask her to send her approval for our Head of House. I think we also have a copy of the old duelling 101 textbook back at the flat, which you might find interesting, Pip, if you like the sport."
|
|
|
Post by Philip Garwin on Oct 16, 2018 14:01:06 GMT -5
“Wonderful,” Lita practically purrs, her smile sharpening as she rolls to her feet. Aside from Pip, the boys have known her too long and too well to have any doubts about the intent behind her silent question. Receiving an answer is as good as being granted permission, she reasons, and scruffs a hand through Pip's hair fondly when the first year glances up at her with open curiosity. Lita doesn’t often adopt strays, not the way Rister does, but family is family. If Rister has taken Pip under his wing, just as Damon had brought Ashlyn in and just as all of them have taken to Layla, then he's one of their own at least for now. Lita doesn’t take kindly to people being mean to first years - and all the more so when there’s a connection. “Make it Saturday; I’m having dinner with Gaenor on Friday and I don’t want to miss the celebration,” she tells Rister with a soft smile, still somewhat in disbelief that their relationship has changed.
Ashlyn is precisely where Damon said she would be, which is absolutely no surprise. The Gryffindor has her blonde head bent over the manuscript with Leandra, the two younger girls both picking their way through the translation together, and Lita leans against the doorframe for a moment as she watches them. She'd had her doubts about Ashlyn initially, more because Lita is naturally wary of new people being brought in her life than because of the girl herself, but the blonde is smart and sharp and loyal. Damon could have brought in someone far worse, like one of the girls Gabriel always has hanging off him. Or Meredith Garwin.
“You'll never guess what just happened,” Lita drawls as she enters, taking a seat across from Ashlyn. “Rister's little duckling won his duel against that horrid third year, the one with the horrendous Cassis Rufa, only to be majestically swept away by his sister before he even had a second to enjoy the taste of victory.” Ashlyn purses her lips when Lita pauses deliberately, both eyebrows raised. She doesn’t have much of an opinion on the Garwin girl one way or another but she has invested time and effort in Pip and she very rarely has patience for any dramatics. “I don’t know what she said,” Lita continues more seriously, “but Pip looked almost ready to either cry or scream when he came to find Rister. I'd hazard a guess that big sister wasn't much pleased with the kid's achievement.”
|
|
|
Post by Ashlyn Swallow G5 on Oct 16, 2018 14:50:40 GMT -5
“I should have known that someone would eventually interrupt,” Ashlyn murmurs to Leandra ruefully when Lita makes her entrance, “we were actually making progress; of course someone had to come along and spoil it.”
“It could have been worse,” Lita responds easily. “Imagine how much more annoyed you'd be if it had been Gabriel and Rister instead of me.”
The brunette has a point, Ashlyn admits, although that might just be because she still hasn’t forgiven the two Slytherins for getting her photo in that ridiculous gossip column. It’s only because she comes with news of Pip's duel that Ashlyn puts aside the manuscript though, leaning back in her chair and fixing Lita with expectant blue eyes. It’s just as well she had put her quill down, she acknowledges when Lita is perhaps halfway through her summary of events, because Meredith Garwin is apparently just as absurd and mindless as the girls Ashlyn is forced to share a dorm with.
“So what you're telling me,” Ashlyn bites out, “is that Rister and Leandra and I have spent numerous hours getting Pip ready for this duel - an endeavour which involved not only building up his wandwork and knowledge but also his confidence in his own ability - only for one supremely stupid Hufflepuff to potentially ruin it all in the one moment he should have been permitted to enjoy his victory without anyone spoiling it with even helpful criticism?” Her fingers tap against the table restlessly as Ashlyn considers the situation, fully aware that Damon is almost certainly being submerged in her indignant fury but not quite able to stamp it down to a more manageable level. Ashlyn knows what it's like to not fit in with the House which is supposed to be a safe, comfortable place for seven years. The primary difference is that Pip truly belongs in Slytherin, despite the troubles which plague him now until he proves himself, and he has a chance to change the way people view him. He isn’t Layla but he's still a good kid and he works hard - and Ashlyn had been the one to stand for him when he had taken the Oath to protect Morgana's secret. He isn’t Layla but there's still a tie there all the same and she has some level of responsibility towards him. Sister or not, Meredith Garwin doesn’t have the right to diminish that which the boy has worked so hard to achieve.
“Well then,” she continues with a tight smile, “I suppose there's a Hufflepuff who has finally earned herself a conversation. Are you busy, Leandra, or do you want to come along? I'm sure I'm not the only person here with something to say to Meredith Garwin.”
|
|
|
Post by Rister Graas S6 on Oct 18, 2018 12:33:00 GMT -5
Leandra stretched leisurely as Lita stepped into the room distracting them from the text, before digging into her pockets in search of a piece of candy. Managing to unearth one, she grinned happily at the horrendous purplish-blue-red colour of it before sticking it in her mouth. It was only then that she leaned forward, folding her arms on the edge of the table and resting her chin on top of her hands, that she tuned into the conversation that Lita and Ashlyn were having. It was easy enough to grasp the topic however. Pip had won his duel, had been offended by his sister for doing so and had sought our Rister in both a bit of a pique and also for comfort. “Pip is a cactus-covered marshmallow,” Leandra offered her input sagely. She had told much the same to Rister after one of the lessons and Rister had just laughed, which was as good as him agreeing with the description. At least that’s what Leandra had decided to take from that. And Lita and Ashlyn both were very protective.
She considered her options for a moment as Ashlyn and Lita agreed to undertake the warpath. “I’ll come along,” Leandra agreed calmly. Pip had obviously gone to Rister and if Lita knew that then Lita had been with Rister, so Rister knew Lita was planning it and had permitted it. Or had chosen to not intervene, if Leandra applied the same logic as to Rister’s quiet agreement with Leandra’s personality assessment of Pip. “We won’t get any further with the text today anyway,” Leandra mused, delicately touching one fingertip to the page. She liked knowing things. And she lucky in that her family could afford to let her learn whatever took her fancy. Which was everything usually. Maybe because she was trying to fill in the years she couldn’t remember, she thought quite self-critically but not wrongly. But knowledge had a purpose and use and she was good at seeing patterns and extracting facts out of it and then putting all the little facts together logically for her parents or Rister to use. Or occasionally Damon for his business endeavours. Leandra liked numbers too. Numbers could dance and could be twisted into so much, but there was always a logic inherent to them.
“And it’s almost dinner time anyway,” Leandra finished with the last and in her opinion the most relevant little snippet of fact. Besides if the duel had taken place, Rister would have use for her, “And will be by the time you two are finished I suspect.”
|
|
|
Post by Ashlyn Swallow G5 on Oct 18, 2018 14:40:43 GMT -5
“Where else?” Ashlyn responds wryly when Lita asks if Layla is with Jared for a guitar lesson. Her cousin is a second year now but no less attached to her music, which Ashlyn is perfectly fine with. She has a great deal of promise, especially on the piano and with her beloved guitar, and if she’s using the music to work through the things that she’s still hesitant to speak aloud then that’s all the better. It might not be the healthiest way to cope but music is the best option that Ashlyn, who is unaccustomed to emotional conversations or outbursts, can offer. Layla will have to seek out one of the Graas' if she needs a softer touch.
Lita's mouth curves into a half-smile, touching Ashlyn’s elbow lightly as she circles around the table. “She takes after you then,” the Ravenclaw murmurs softly and watches Ashlyn's cheeks flush lightly in awkward delight. The poor girl still isn’t used to the idea of having true family but it’s clear to anyone with eyes that Layla idolises her older cousin even more than Pip looks up to Rister. Layla adores them all, Lita knows, and the little blonde isn’t shy about showing her affection if one knows the right signs to look for, but her gaze goes first to Ashlyn if she’s unsure or reluctant and Ashlyn has yet to let her down.
“Don’t let Pip hear you call him that,” Ashlyn advises dryly as the three girls leave the classroom with Lita leading the way. The brunette seems to know where she’s going but Ashlyn chooses not to question why she apparently has such knowledge of where Meredith Garwin might be. Sometimes it really is best not to ask. “I don’t think he’d appreciate it.”
|
|
|
Post by Merry Garwin H6 on Oct 18, 2018 15:37:06 GMT -5
Merry's good mood evaporates as she ambles down the corridor, deep in conversation with her friends until she sees Pip duelling with an older student. She's furious with him instantly; her foolish, reckless little brother, forever pushing boundaries and letting his temper get him into trouble. This is miles past a shouted argument with Rosa over something stupid and quickly forgotten though. Duelling in the corridors could get him into serious trouble. What on earth is he thinking, she fumes helplessly, furious but impressed despite herself because Pip is actually doing rather well. He’s clearly holding his own, and she wonders for a brief moment where he learnt even half of those spells - until she follows her brother's gaze and her brown eyes land on the answer. Rister Graas. Of course.
Her anger cools in a flash, replaced instead by creeping dread. Merry has witnessed the Graas family surrounding her brother almost constantly and it terrifies her. He spent the summer with them and he sits with them at meals and he might think he’s being subtle with those grudgingly adoring expressions but Merry has known Pip for his entire life. It might sting a little that she's no longer the subject of those looks but mostly it just concerns her that Rister is the new recipient. She would very much like to believe that she’s wrong but there’s a little whisper in the back of her mind telling her that she had hurt Rister's sister and now he has her little brother in the palm of his hand.
Pip isn’t willing to listen though. He sees her anger but none of her concern, and she really shouldn’t be as surprised and disheartened as she is when he stomps out. Merry takes a shaky breath, the sound loud in the empty classroom especially after Pip's fervent outburst, and hopes yet again that she's wrong because she really doesn’t want to be right. Despite how things had ended before even really beginning, she had really liked Rister last year and she has to believe that the kindness she had seen in him extends to her brother even though he hates Merry herself. She has to have faith in that part of him, and she tries very hard not to remember the way Rister had cut Lita down with just four words and the terrible devastation on the other girl's face afterwards.
“Really,” Merry says flatly when Lita catches her by the arm a short while later, her grip firm but not bruising as she pulls her along. “I have work in an hour. You haven’t spoken to me in months, and you choose now to ambush me? Excellent timing, truly.” She recognises the redhead as Rister's sister - she'd had a crush on the boy, naturally she had started paying more attention to the people around him - and the blonde as a Gryffindor, Ashleigh perhaps? Whatever her name is, the blonde stares at her with a hard expression, blue eyes cold enough to burn. “Not a social call then,” Merry continues mirthlessly. “What do you want?”
|
|
|
Post by Rister Graas S6 on Oct 21, 2018 6:46:26 GMT -5
“No more than you would,” Leandra agrees idly, pressing the sweet against her teeth with her tongue as she considers Ashlyn thoughtfully, “Although you are perhaps not a marshmallow underneath a cactus. Almost, but not quite. I'll need to consider that sometime.”
“Ambush?” Leandra asks with mild amusement. Paranoia appears to be a familial trait then. Even so she takes a moment to consider this from an outside perspective. Perhaps it could be seen as an ambush. She tends to slip notice – most of her influence comes from her brothers. And being a third year, what threat could she pose to a seventh year? Because few people understand how sharp of a mind hides behind her seemingly often wandering attention span that is learning everything. Lita and Ashlyn though. Both of them have their strengths and are known for being accomplished duellers. So perhaps it could be seen as an ambush. “Can't judge a familial hobby I guess,” is all she chooses to say instead, “But you don't really believe that, don't you?” Leandra tilts her head as she focuses on the situation at hand and taken it down to its finest details before putting it back together again. And Merry isn't afraid. Irritated, annoyed, tired... but not afraid.
And there is that choice of words about speaking with Lita. Had she worried? About Morgana? About Rister? And the ease with which they had tracked Merry down. Perhaps a coincidence, perhaps not. She will become the Graas spymaster one day, so Leandra considers the situation from that perspective, as she meets Lita's eyes. But Rister hasn't don't anything and Lita is family, so all that Leandra does is grin – the candy starting to colour her tongue purple – and tuck her hands in her pockets before returning her attention to Ashlyn. Of them all Ashlyn is the one who is most likely to swipe in with a frontal attack on the fact Merry didn't think before assuming the worst from the duel.
|
|