Lessons In Futility

[Marcus O'Conner]

The air seemed to close in too tightly to the space, crowding upon everything else within it, almost as if in attempt to shove them out... Too tight, even the smell of fresh parchment and the rustling of turning pages did little to alleviate the feeling. It was like shoving a kid with claustrophobia into a small closet devoid of all light; this putting him in the library these days. It was like it was the only place he spent any time in anymore, every waking hour that wasn't spent on the pitch or in classes had been spent in here, nose crammed between the spines of books, fingers permanently stained with the ink from his quill as he took page after page of notes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been running in the woods. Just really running. Couldn't remember the last time he'd been outside with Tobias or Vic. He could barely remember the last time he'd spent time with them outside of class with how focused he'd been on his studies recently. He knew the grades he needed to achieve in order to get out of his mother's house once and for all were riding on this last year and the grades he made therein. Maybe he'd been taking it a little too seriously recently, but the fear that he'd be stuck under the thumb of his mother's influence forever was at the forefront of his mind. Where are you going to go mutt? His shoulders shook slightly as he attempted to physically shrug the voice and it's reminders out of his mind. She wasn't here, she wasn't going to be here, and he could prove her wrong. It wasn't a mantra that got him through anything, it was just a course he had decided on. Because he could do that. If there was anything that the past few years had taught him it was that he was capable of more than he ever would have believed previously. Which meant if he set his mind to making good grades on everything this year then he could achieve it, he just had to spend a little more time shut up among the books. He brought his hands up from the book, palms encompassing his face as he let his lids fall closed. Just... maybe not this much time anymore. He could feel the corners of his lips turn up in a somewhat sheepish smile as he let his fingers press into the skin beneath them, scraping against the three-day old stubble that had built up along his jaw line. He'd been in here over the course of the last two hours, eyes travelling the words of the chapter over and over again as he attempted to imprint the knowledge upon his brain. He'd wanted to be extra prepared for his History of Magic exam tomorrow, had planned to stay here through his free period and continue with it. Though after looking over at his four pages of notes he reluctantly admitted that since it was only over a chapter, and since he didn't imagine he could learn or memorize much more... he might as well take an actual break. It didn't hurt that his brain seemed to be turning to mush the longer he stared at the words. He flipped his book closed definitively, folding his notebook closed as well and placing it on top as he let his eyes roam the nearly empty library.

He still had a good ten minutes until his free period started, though he still hadn't decided what it was he was doing, prompting to put his supplies up in his bag at a slower than usual pace, his brain going over the possibilities. It was entirely possible for him to still make it down to the Great Hall and beg a late lunch, though he wasn't really all that hungry. Or he could track Tobias down, he knew that it was his free period today too, though where he'd go about finding him he couldn't think. For all he knew Tobias could have gone and hidden himself in some rafter to people-watch. And while the prospect sounded far more attractive than sitting here, he wouldn't know which rafter to start looking in. Vic was out of the question though, she had a class that would be... well, it wasn't entirely out of the question. It wouldn't be the first time either he or Tobias had managed to successfully talk her into doing something that wasn't in her norm. And even if he couldn't get her to agree to take the period off he could at least talk to her for a few minutes before she had to go to class. He was up and out of the chair before he could finish the thought, swinging his bag onto his shoulders and pushing the cuffs of his hoodie as he set off in the direction of the exit, weaving his way through the shelving as he went. He had, with a quick look down at the watch Robert had gotten him for Christmas, a good five minutes to get to the courtyard before she would be passing through. At least, he did if he had remembered her schedule correctly. With a frustrated sigh he sped up his pace, trying to ignore the clawing that took up residence in his chest as he did so. He hadn't been going running on his transformations as of late, something that was catching up to him with an increased vigor. It wasn't all by choice, when he was at home it wasn't as if he had a choice in the matter anyways. There was no way his mother would consent to him leaving on the full moon to go work it out, no she took her own perverse pleasure out of being the one to turn the lock to the cellar. At least he could say he didn't provide her any more by ripping the room to shreds. It had become much easier to manage his shifting over the years.. something Osiris had actually helped him with, had ensured him would happen when Marcus felt like there would be no living with it.

He'd have to remember to thank the man for that sometime. He'd have to remember to get out there soon, hopefully before the next full moon. Which meant... sooner than he wanted to really think about.. He needed a shift so bad it had become like depriving food from his body. His temperature had shot up to compensate, the irrational moodswings over what it was he had been studying or the lack of information processing while studying becoming a habit that he didn't want to get into. Which is why this interlude would be a welcome retreat, maybe push back the discomfort that had started building within him. He blinked suddenly, his feet slowing as he recognized how far he'd come in the time he'd been off in his own world. The courtyard was bustling with students, all jostling to get to class on time- though there were a few who seemed unconcerned. The majority of them were sitting around on the benches or leaning against walls, several groups calling out to passing students. One such looked to be a group of middle-aged Slytherin's calling out a fairly even assortment of cat-calls and insults. He narrowed his eyes in their direction momentarily before turning his attention to trying to locate the slight red-head he'd come down here for in the first place. At least she had a distinctive hair color, seeing that she didn't exactly go out of her way to stand out of a crowd it made it easier to locate her. His eyes slipped to his watch after a few moments of the exercise though, surprised to find that he'd made it down here sooner than he'd anticipated. He leant his shoulders back against the wall behind him, trying to ignore the goings on of the serpent group across from him. Had they been stepping over a line he would have been glad to step across the way and deduct points from their house, for now though they were just barely toeing the line. Something he supposed shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did, and very likely normally wouldn't have. It took only a few moments of this, right as his agitation with the group really started to mount before his eyes caught the vibrant red curls he'd been searching for, an answering smile breaking out on his lips as she walked by him as if she hadn't seen him- eyes skittering nervously from the boys across the way and the ground.

He rolled his shoulders forward, away from the stone behind him and stepped forward, taking a few strides until he was alongside her. His left arm slung easily around her shoulders, the smile he sent her way as she looked up at him just the right amount of persuasion... at least he hoped. "So... Ms.Abernathy, just how set are you on making your next class?"

[Victoria Abernathy]

It was finally going to happen. Her brain was going to turn into oatmeal. What had she been thinking? A full course load for her final year at Galaxia. With Head Girl and Quidditch duties to boot! She hardly had any free time at all these days. The little free time she had was spent eating, or sleeping. Over the course of the past six years, she had always been angry at her small bouts of insomnia, they were just a waste of her time, but this year? They gave her extra time to study, and that was certainly always worth it. She needed every single moment she could get with her books. She had a very promising internship lined up for her next year, and she couldn't start slacking now if she hoped to be ready for it by the end of the school year. Sure, term was only half way over, but she felt like she had just blinked, once, only once, and months had flown by. Her arms were stuffed full of books and rolls of parchment as Victoria headed out of her double Herbology lesson. She didn't know any other student in her year that was even taking half of the normal course load, and she had piled on everything. Not just fluff classes either, but normal courses, all advanced due to her O.W.L.s last year. Of course her study habits had allowed her to get into whatever she had wanted. Once again, she had been seduced by the course descriptions, everything just seemed so interesting, they all were fascinating to her. Being muggle born, she was still romanticized by the prospect of magic, even after all of these years.

Her footing caught a little as she shuffled out of the green houses and started to make her way across the grounds to the main castle. Oh, to be one of those students just lounging around gossiping. She could fantasize all that she wanted, but the truth was, if she wasn't learning something new, she was very likely to get bored. For all of her wonderful work ethic, her attention span only seemed to apply to her school work. Every where else, her mind just moved too fast to commit to any other task. Glancing up at the massive clock across the grounds by the owlry she sighed. Pick up the pace Victoria she thought bitterly to herself, her arms not wanting to carry the load of textbooks longer than she had to, and she needed to get to her next class, all the way across campus, and only ten minutes to get there. Her mind was already charting the course across the castle. It was going to be even harder to squeeze through the student body with her arms full, but stopping by her dorm room was out of the question. There just wasn't enough time. Her eyes shyly darted to the people around her, the likelihood of her spotting a friendly face to take them to her dorm for her, was even smaller than her not being late to her next class.

Turning into the hedge lined courtyard, she pressed the books more firmly against her body, the edges cutting into the skin of her stomach, there was going to be lines there, wincing, she moved forward. Sadly, if she wanted to avoid dropping her things it was something that she couldn't avoid. Her shoulders moved upward toward her ears, the strap of her bag weighing heavily into her shoulder, but she couldn't even feel it. Just about the only benefit of her focus was the ability to tune out bodily things, like the pain in her shoulder or the need to shift in her seat all the time. Hopefully, it would be the same focus that would allow her to keep her head down and keep walking long enough to make it past the rowdy bunch of Slytherin's calling mean names to just about everybody that walked past them. Sure, she technically could have done something about it, but then she certainly wouldn't be able to make it to her next class on time. Plus, she didn't think that she would be able to handle their hair color – based insults at this point in time.

To say that the arm around her shoulders took her by surprise would have been an understatement. Her whole body shuddered and a yelp of startle left her lips as the contents of her arms shuddered out of her grasp and hit the ground. Great Vic, just really great. Spaz her hands instantly going to push up her sleeves around her elbows. “So...Ms.Abernathy, just how set are you on making your next class?” The tone of the man speaking to her was familiar, but it didn't put her at any more ease than she was at this moment. She still felt on edge, despite who the voice belonged to. Already her stomach was tightening into a knot, her heart rate starting to flutter. This was one of those rare times where the person putting their arms around her was a friend, and not just some random student attempting to make fun of her or make her feel uncomfortable. Marcus didn't mean any harm, but he knew how much she hated being snuck up on. She was already berating herself for not carrying less books, or at the very least and even larger book bag than she already did. Victoria's hands were moving all over the books on the ground, attempting to stack them in a fashionable manor that would be easiest for carrying. Bundling most of them against her for a moment she reached for the last one, only to have two more topple out of her arms back onto the ground. Her shoulders dropped in defeat and her eyes glanced up at the handsome Ravenclaw that so liked to tease her. “If I can even make it there now. Shouldn't you be doing the same?”

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[Marcus O'Conner]

There were plenty of things Marcus didn’t understand; Ancient Runes, why things that were different just inherently terrified the general public, his mum’s brain… the list could go on and on, with subtext and sub categories galore. Some things he did understand, at least for the most part. He counted his friends among that category- at least he liked to think he did… which is why when Victoria froze beneath his arm the minute he slid it around her shoulders he immediately began cursing himself. Because, like him, Victoria was awkward, in completely different ways. And unlike him her awkward was endearing, cute even… as opposed to the serial killer trying to cover his faux pas with antiquated humor that he came across as. Awkward didn’t bring arms around your shoulder out of nowhere though. Guys were intimidated by the cute, brainy girls out there; they posed as threats to the masculinity they liked to fashion for themselves to keep at bay the problems beneath. He didn’t feel the need to posture and preen like other males in the school though, which made him a good candidate for a steady friend to those such girls. His had little to do with masculinity though and more to do with the improbability of keeping a relationship alive with his … current lifestyle. So he got to play the fun role of confidant and protector to certain people, a small list to be sure, but one he enjoyed. Protectors didn’t go around scaring the wits out of the lasses that they liked to keep happy though, something he could only briefly ruminate on as the books flew out of her arms and clattered onto the pavement, his arm withdrawing from her form as quickly as was humanly possible. Of course she would react this way. It was something he hadn’t even considered in his haste to start speaking to her, his own excitement that had been born of being out of the confines of the dusty library stacks and back into friendly company overpowering any other thought processes he might have had. Like an over-eager pup that hadn’t been let out enough recently. He scrubbed a hand down his face as a few choice taunts ran through his head in his older brother’s voice, the simile falling all too close to home, biting back a smile as he watched her scramble about to get her things back together. “Aya. Didn’t mean ta spook ye Vic.”

She was amusing, falling to the ground after her books in an attempt to recollect the lot of them. And he supposed that most men would have dropped to their knees instantly as well in an effort to help. He had been such a fellow when he had first met her, and had it been any other female on the ground he would still be doing the same. Not that he liked or respected her any less no that was as far from the reasoning behind him staying standing and trying not to laugh too audibly at her attempts. It really fell to the fact that he had indeed tried it one too many times before, and had resulted in their heads clashing- bruising the both of them, or odd instances of injuries that didn’t even make sense given the circumstance that they came from. No, he knew that had he dropped to his knees as well it would have only flustered her more. That and the fact that he did value not getting bruised starting right off. Not that him standing there wasn’t drawing a few eyes and disapproving glances, most of the latter from passing girls hurrying to reach their own class, though the courtyard was quickly clearing. “If I can even make it there now. Shouldn't you be doing the same?” He did grin at her then, his shoulders rolling back against his frame in a careless shrug. “No, not’really. Ta beauty of off periods.” She hadn’t answered his question though. Which to his mind just meant that she hadn’t given him a definitive negative to throw a cog into his schemes. Which meant that all he had to do was convince her. Luckily this was Victoria, which meant that the effort on his part wouldn’t exactly be exhausting. Something to be grateful for. Unless she had a quiz or test in her next class. In which case he somehow couldn’t see her skipping the period entirely just for his amusement.

He amped up his smile some, eyes widening comically. “If yer already goin’ ta be late though why do ye need ta go a’tall?” He fell into a crouch beside her, taking the few books she’d managed to keep hold of in the valiant battle against the volumes from her hands and transferring them into the crook of one arm as he plucked up the few that had managed to escape and piled them on top, standing easily and holding a hand down to assist her back up. “I’m thinkin’, personally, that it wouldn’t hurt ye but a wee lil to miss this class being that yer already goin’ ta be late and all yeah?” His fingers closed around her forearm gently, doubling over as he pulled her back up, stepping back as she righted herself. “Meanin’ that yer in need ta find something else ta feel that time slot there. An’ me? I jus’ so happen ta think that an adventure is on hand here.” What that adventure he was promising entailed he hadn’t right decided yet, but he was fairly good at thinking on his feet, and she was sure to have ideas herself once he got her into the right mindset. He readjusted the books within his arms to keep her from feeling the need to take them back, pulling the backpack off of his shoulders and opening it as quickly as he could. It would be a tight fit to shove it in amongst the things already littering the inside, though he did manage it in less than three moves. Although the finished product came out to a lumpy, distorted thing. Something he paid little attention to as he slung it back over one shoulder and grinned engagingly down at her. He needed a break. He was sure she needed a break, she studied too much as it was on a regular basis. He briefly considered starting to walk away, he had her books, and he had high hopes she’d follow, but instead stayed rooted to the spot, doing his best impression of beguilement.

[Victoria Abernathy]

Academically, there wasn't much that Victoria didn't understand. She had never been of the mindset that work here at Galaxia was actually work. There was so much to learn, so much to see and do. All of which felt like every day she was living inside of a fairy tale. She had never thought that a world like this would have been possible, could even exist, and here she was, a part of it. How people didn't feel the same way, she wouldn't understand. On the other hand, whenever it came to social issues, Victoria tended to be miles behind whatever her peers were doing. She had never quite grasped the concept of having both things working in her favor. Perhaps it was her meek personality, she wasn't outgoing enough to be social, or humorous enough to make people overlook her awkwardness. The boy that had startled her however, never seemed to care about any of that, which was yet another aspect of social graces that she would never understand. She didn't understand why she had jumped so high, why her stomach was suddenly knotting itself and her palms felt oddly moist. Her voice felt like it sounded higher in her head, and sentences didn't want to make sense. “Aya. Didn’t mean ta spook ye Vic.” She shook her head a little too hard, she shouldn't have been so involved in her own world that she didn't even notice whenever somebody was walking right next to her. For all that she knew, he could have been calling out her name before he ever had touched her, and she might not have ever even noticed. “I'm sure it was my fault” she mumbled more to herself than the tall boy standing next to her. It was good that he hadn't tried to help her right off the bat, she might have fallen over attempting to pick everything up herself. Tucking a text under her arm, she attempted to also shove some more into her arms. How was this even possible? She had managed to fit them all just fine before.

“No, not’really. Ta beauty of off periods.” there it was again, the familiar pang in her stomach that made her instantly more uncomfortable. Swallowing hard she tilted her head down, not wanting to turn the same color as her hair. She had known him for so long, and of course, this was only now starting to become a real issue. She had been too focused on other things before. At least this time she had a task to busy herself with. Just calm down. She thought to herself, attempting to rationalize away the nerves that she was feeling, between her sudden company and the anxiety of being late to class. Just. Chill. Vic Rolling her eyes at herself, she felt people shuffling around her with impatient huffs. “If yer already goin’ ta be late though why do ye need ta go a’tall?” He was baiting her. She felt her eyes widen as she shot him a glance, clearly stating that he knew that wasn't going to work. If he was going to attempt to force her away from another lesson, he was going to have to do a lot better than that. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time that he tried to make her do something that she didn't normally do. 'Broaden her horizons' or whatever rubbish excuse that she sprouted off. He wasn't just going to smile his way into this one, this was her last year, and she had far, far too much to do. She couldn't justify running around the grounds or doing whatever else he could think up this time, she had caved in previous years because his logic had outlogiced her logic...but not this time. Rolling her eyes at her own stupid thought she tucked one more book under her chin and attempted to stand, and as their timing always was, she fell backward as he finally lowered himself to the ground. One by one, he took every book out of her hands and tucked them into the crook of one arm, making it look super easy, despite the fact that she had been struggling with it for a few minutes now.

Irritated by how effortless he made it look, her mouth wiggled from side to side before she exhaled deeply, blowing the spare curl away from her face. “I’m thinkin’, personally, that it wouldn’t hurt ye but a wee lil to miss this class being that yer already goin’ ta be late and all yeah?” Pretending to be huffy, her hand clapped into his as she accepted the help upward. Which, like everything else, he made look so easy. She had always felt so very small next to him, he was so strong for somebody of his build. She had always just assumed that it was a boy thing, they were all obviously a lot stronger than he was. Her hands brushed over her backside, making sure that she was otherwise clean and ground free before she pushed her book bag back up her shoulder, and folded her arms across her chest. Obviously he had her at a disadvantage, she wasn't going to attempt to wrestle her books from him. With half of a smile, she attempted to stick to her guns, she couldn't afford to miss a class, and it wasn't like it was a large class, she would be missed, and she had no idea if there would even be anybody else in there that would allow her to borrow notes or anything of the sort. She certainly didn't want to have to go to the professor and apologize, begging to notes from the lesson she didn't need to miss. “Meanin’ that yer in need ta find something else ta feel that time slot there. An’ me? I jus’ so happen ta think that an adventure is on hand here.” Then there was that smirk as he effortlessly tucked all of her books away into his own bag. Her eyes widened and her jaw lowered, he wasn't going to take no for an answer. “Saying no is pointless...” she stated, feeling defeated. In the back of her mind she was already panicked about being late, she wasn't a rule breaker. “What sort of adventure?”

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[Marcus O'Conner]

He should probably feel bad that he was dragging her from her studies again; some moral sense somewhere should probably have been cringing at the thought of taking her off on some harebrained excursion that he hadn’t even figured out himself yet. A vague sense of satisfaction was more than completely against that though, so he attempted to curb his enthusiastic smile as he realized she was giving in. And maybe it was playing dirty, this kidnapping of her books and all, but he rather enjoyed the way she reacted, his eyes widening comically with hers, a feigned look of innocence falling easily over his features. “Saying no is pointless…What sort of adventure?” The grin he’d been biting back did make its way through then, dimples denting his cheeks as he adjusted the pack more firmly upon the lone shoulder he’d slung it over. “Aye, as ta that I’ll no’ be disagreeing.” He hadn’t had a contingency plan for her saying no, and as such had only more than slightly depended on her eventual acceptance, although he hadn’t been sure how long or how much wheedling it would take. It seemed this had worked out in the best case scenario though; she seemed much more open to the idea than she had originally pretended to be. Victoria may not have been as much of a delinquent as Marcus or Tobias, but it didn’t mean there wasn’t a rebel child within her yet. She wouldn’t be as apt to go along with all of their ideas so easily if there wasn’t, they weren’t honestly that convincing- at least not to his mind. “The adventure though…” he trailed off with a grin, arm once more going around her shoulders carelessly, pulling her body along with his as he started walking down the now empty courtyard. “Wha’s the fun o’it if we know what it is we’re doing off da bat, Red?” Because telling her that he had no plan right off wasn’t going to earn him any points considering he’d just kidnapped her books, and by extension her. He’d have to remember that trick for the next time he had a scheme he wanted her to tagalong for- and be sure to pass it on to Tobias as well, although the other boy was more likely to stumble upon a roundabout solution that worked just as well. He sought desperately through his mind, running over any and all of the options that might interest her. He couldn’t see talking her into the Forbidden Forest’s edge again though; they’d just barely gotten her in there the first time. Which put tree climbing excursions out of the question at least. He glanced down at the shock of red at his side, lips twisting as he continued his considerations. It was possible he could get her to go back into the castle and find something there- although if he was being honest he had no interest in staying indoors today, which narrowed the options even further. At least it was progress.

He felt the stumble at his side, looking back down with a grin as she tried to cover it up, eyes anywhere but on him. Her embarrassment stained the tips of her cheekbones, as familiar a site as the hair he’d identified her with. You would think, after all the years they’d known one another that she’d be over the embarrassment her clumsiness occasionally caused. It wasn’t like it was an annoying habit of hers, if anything it was endearing. Just another of her quirks, which all of their odd group seemed to be made of.“Ye know Red, sometimes I think walking be a wee bit too dangerous for ye. You could always hop on me back.” And while he was teasing her it was an honest appraisal. He’d never met anyone as apt to drop things and trip as she was, not that he minded keeping the pace slower for her to keep up with. Just as he wouldn’t mind carrying her about so that she’d be less likely to injure herself, it wasn’t as if she weighed anything. He paused as he considered just picking her up, it would do more than just slightly increase their speed at least, but he could only imagine the reaction, and he’d already scared her enough for this hour… He moved through the archway, being sure to angle their steps towards the grounds, his mind running over the things that filled his over-stuffed pack. He hadn’t thought to pack any snacks, as unfortunate as that was considering how long it’d been since he’d last eaten, nor had he thought to pack anything that could serve to fashion into fishing poles… Too cold to swim, had he even packed anything for that… He ran his free hand frustrated through his hair, ends standing up further than they should have. It was probably time for another haircut, he’d grown a bit shaggier than he was wont to of late. He dropped his hand again, looking around the grounds for inspiration as they ambled in no particular direction, hair staying up as he’d left it. “Red, how do ye feel abou’ paints?” It was the only thing in his backpack that wasn’t school related. “… Or painting trees?” His lips tipped infectiously again as he looked down at the girl, eyebrows raised in an excited expression. “Or bushes? Like tha’ cards out o’ tha one movie?” Or maybe it had been roses that they’d been painting, it was still on bushes. And unlike the cards they could magic the ‘canvas’ of their choice to hold whatever it was they painted on it for days to come. He had considered body painting, it was something he’d tried a few times previous, but he certainly didn’t have a canvas large enough packed up within his things, in truth he had no canvas within his bag, hence the creative canvas ideas. “Or we could always go back an’ paint tha courtyard too…” Although that spelled a likelier chance of being apprehended…

“Ye know ye want to Red,” his voice had dropped in pitch, eyes widening in his best imitation of beggary, as he swung his arm from about her shoulders, hand sliding down her arm to grasp her hand, his other hand rising to do the same with her opposite as well. “Ye could paint whatever ye wanted, on anythin’ ye wanted… be artisitical an’ wha’not.” He felt like he’d had to do a lot of persuasion today, doing the best he could to sway her with his linguistic patterns, eyebrows dipping down lower over his orbs as he tried looking up at her. A comical attempt considering the height difference, but it didn’t stop him from making it as he turned her around in a circle, once… twice, being sure to do it slow enough so she didn’t lose her footing. “Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedddddd.” And maybe Marcus, regardless of his age, was still like a child in many ways, but he didn’t see any need to be embarrassed of it. He figured most people were basically, they just liked to put on airs and pretend they weren’t. Life was much more fun, in his experience, when one didn’t take themselves too seriously. So he was resorting to begging again, though this time he was less concerned with the outcome of it, even if she denied him this he was more than sure she could come up with an equally fun alternative, even if he did have his heart set on this adventure. Tobes would be envious, that he could be sure of, it was one of those things that he wouldn’t have had to do anything other than suggest before the other boy got equally as excited. Or at least intrigued enough to go through with it, not like the two denied eachother their odd requests… well, ever. “We have ta paint tha roses red, tha roses red or tha queen will cut off our heads! The grass we’ll paint blue, ta trees all yella, we’ve got ta paint ta roses red.” He spun her twice more with a laugh, still slow enough to avoid both getting dizzy and her perpetual clumsiness. Something, that considering the first, he was rather grateful for himself. He came to a stop, silliness put aside as he hunched his shoulders, trying once more to get to her level to reattempt the puppy-dog eyes.

[Victoria Abernathy]

The herd of students that had previously been occupying the courtyard with them was starting to thin. No doubt they were shuffling into their classrooms and starting to unpack their books right about now. They were heading to the commons or library to while away their free periods, most of them were doing what they ought she was sure. All of them, but her. Victoria wanted to do what she was supposed to be doing, she wanted to be sitting in the front row of her designated classroom, unpacking her own books and parchment, handing in her essay that she had been working so very hard on...but now she was never going to make it. She would be late at best. Even if she could run all the way across the campus, but she might just get locked out of the classroom at this point. She had tried telling Marcus no before, she wanted to now...her words were far more sarcastic and biting than she meant them to be. It was just so hard to be properly assertive around her. Everything came out at the wrong place. Her stomach seemed to be in control of her words. She didn't even understand it really, he just made her so very nervous all of the time. It was a wonder that she could talk around him at all really. The more flustered he made her, the more her words came out wrong. Besides, he had her books anyway, and she just couldn't leave without them. “Aye, as ta that I’ll no’ be disagreeing.” Merlin. Her eyes shot directly to the ground to help lessen the flood of crimson that had just rushed to her face, something about his darn Irish accent. The way his smile made his eyes just seem that much brighter, golden like the sun. While she didn't feel the need to use the latest cosmetic enchantments (not that she could figure them out if she did want to) they certainly did look good on him. Even Amina was in on it, with her golden charms. It worked well with her dark hair, somehow, Vic had a feeling that if she was Amina, she would have been able to handle this situation a little better. Pressing her knees together to keep them from knocking she swallowed and looked back up at Marcus, hoping her blush had faded into a pale pink at the very least. Not that it would have the damned decency to hide under her freckles.

Once more, his arm went around her shoulders, his body heat flooding the side of her body. She didn't jump this time, though she was certain that her heart fluttered. Why he was taking such an interest in her, she would never understand. She wasn't even really certain why he had ever chosen to talk to her in the first place, it had been just such a long time now that they had been friends. At least – she considered them to be friends. Allowing her weak knees to move her legs and move alongside him she couldn't help but wonder what those who passed them must think. Would they think that they were a couple? A small smile formed in the corner of her mouth at the thought, only to be shot down by her more rational thinking. Doubtful, just likely think that you're too pathetic to walk It just made all that more sense really. “The adventure though…Wha’s the fun o’it if we know what it is we’re doing off da bat, Red?” She had never really understood that nick name, not that she was opposed to it. She just didn't know if he meant her hair color or her houses colors. “Ye know Red, sometimes I think walking be a wee bit too dangerous for ye. You could always hop on me back.” A nervous giggle left her lips as she shook her head. “No, I don't think so.” he had a way of teasing her that didn't make her feel uncomfortable, perhaps that was one of the things that she liked most about him. Now if only she could figure out how to respond to just about any of it, without her mouth going dry and a distinct need to giggle like a child every time. She had no idea where he was taking her, and even less of an idea how a prefect and the head girl were going to get away with missing class. Did he even have a class? Did he even care? This wasn't the best behavior for her to be modeling.

Despite that, her mind was already running over various places that his current path could cause them to end up. So long as it wasn't the forest again, that place gave her the heebie jeebies. “Red, how do ye feel abou’ paints?” Paints? As in art? Or making paint? Either way, it was an activity that wasn't in the school curriculum, and therefore had no time in her already busy schedule. She didn't have very many hobbies, the only thing that she really allotted for herself, was her obsession with Quidditch. “… Or painting trees?” She hadn't even had a chance to really think about it, but her head snapped up to look at him, craning upward to compensate for their height difference. Not the forest again. He and Tobias seemed to very comfortable there, but it wasn't for her. Obviously, he picked up on her discomfort, because she just kept talking. “Or bushes? Like tha’ cards out o’ tha one movie?” At least he understood her love of cartoon movies. Though, she liked the book far better. Naturally. “Alice in Wonderland?” she giggled softly. “It was roses, red.” this time, she wasn't calling herself by the nick name, she was using the color. “Or we could always go back an’ paint tha courtyard too…” Her eyes widened to the size of galleons, she couldn't risk getting a detention on top of all of this, he had to be joking. More teasing. “Ye know ye want to Red,” the air forced itself from her body, she held still, not breathing, suspended as his arm moved down her own, until his hand grasped her own. Merlin. It wasn't the lack of air that was painful, it was the fact that there was no way he could possibly feel the same way about her. Why would he? Yet, she couldn't bring herself to let go of his hand, even though she could. Instead, her hand cupped around his own, odd that the strange intimacy of holding hands brought such calm to her. Only moments ago, the same arm around her shoulders had made her trip over her own feet. “Ye could paint whatever ye wanted, on anythin’ ye wanted… be artisitical an’ wha’not.” She could hardly even recognize that he was still talking. As slow as she could, so as not to draw attention to it, she sucked some air back in through her teeth until her lungs were functioning normally again.

“Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedddddd.” Her eyes slowly moved back up to meet his gaze and her knees almost buckled again. Why was it so important to him? Why did he want to spend time with her? Was he really that bored? Yet, whenever he spun her around she forgot about her classes, it was just them, for just the second that they were moving. “We have ta paint tha roses red, tha roses red or tha queen will cut off our heads! The grass we’ll paint blue, ta trees all yella, we’ve got ta paint ta roses red.” Smiling she nodded. “Alright fine.” She wanted to say so long as the professor didn't catch them in the greenhouse, but she stopped since she had no idea if he was being literal or not. Nodding as she smiled widened, her hand moved on its own to interlace the fingers of one of her hands with his, not even knowing that she was doing it. “Alright fine, Grass blue, trees yellow...stones purple?” Catching herself, she dropped the one hand in haste, hoping that he wouldn't think anything of it, and waited for her heart to slow back down to a normal rate.

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[Marcus O'Conner]

He liked it when she blushed. It wasn’t a realization or revelation, not anything like that. He’d always liked Red blushing; it made a responding mirth bubble within him without fail every time. He was more than guilty of spending time cultivating just how he wanted to make her do so again. He liked to poke and prod. It was just who he was. But making Victoria blush, making her laugh through the red staining her cheeks had always been one of his favorite past times. It didn’t fade like other characteristics of innocence that girls seemed to lose as they aged; it stayed true to her- a trademark of sorts. So when she turned her still blushing cheeks up to him he couldn’t help but bring his free hand swinging up to run his fingers along one cheekbone where the red seemed the most concentrated. It was brief, just a light brush of his fingertips along the overheated skin before he dropped his hand back, his head turning away from hers almost instantly as well. Not because it was something he hadn’t done before. No he’d touched Victoria plenty over the years, he’d poked his fingers at her blush before laughing as he tried to dissect the reasons behind them. But he hadn’t poked a finger into the skin just then; he’d allowed his fingers to linger for that brief moment, trailing over the skin underneath. And it had been innocent, it really had. He hadn’t meant to do anything other than touch her blush as he had so many times before. But the light spark that always accompanied it had formed into a more shocking sort of tingle, resonating all the way up through his arm and across his torso. It had been akin to a static shock, frazzling not only his mind but his emotions as well. He was vaguely aware that during the contact somewhere in the back of his mind his wolf had growled its approval. Just another reason for him to turn hurriedly from her. He didn’t understand what had just happened, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Mentally he shook his head, banishing it to the back of his mind as he focused on the levity of their outing. That was why he was out here that was what they were setting out to achieve. They needed a break with finals and the end of term so close at hand. Soon enough they’d be out in the real world facing those things again, working their way into the last stretch of their final year. Working themselves ragged really. And after that it would be an entirely different real world, a new set of rules and circumstances they’d have to adapt to. None of that was supposed to matter here though; he was going to get her mind off of all of that as well as his own. That was his aim. And he was going to stick to it. So, with the kind of mercurial shift of moods he had perfected, he pulled his grin back in place on his lips. They were going to have fun.

Walking with her under his arm was familiar, comforting. She could easily be put into the category of things in his life that made him feel normal, made him happy. It was something he tried not to take for granted. So while he was definitely teasing her over her inability to walk he wasn’t adverse to the idea of carrying her, actually it made pretty good sense. He was already having to shorten his stride considerably to keep at a pace she could easily manage, and it would hardly be the first time he’d carried someone on his back. Tobias had taken the position on more than one occasion for reasons ranging from him ‘not thinking he could go on’ (said of course with an overdramatic flair and ‘giving out’ of legs) to just plain mischief. And Tobais was a fair bit bigger than the little thing at his side. “No, I don't think so.” He’d been pretty sure that would be the outcome already anyways, though he jostled her shoulder slightly with a smile as she said so, shaking his head and mumbling just audibly enough about stubborn females. Because she was stubborn, something that could be endearing… so long as it wasn’t interfering with his plans. He was actually more than happy that he’d managed to overcome that trait in order to get her out here. This was just the first step though. They had to do something outrageous, something that would be enough to distract the both of them from all of the goings on that had taken up their lives lately. Something drastic enough to be able to recall when they were eighty years old and he was owling her about whatever potion that had blown up in Tobias’s face. Not that he necessarily felt that he and Tobias would still be living together once they were eighty. His lips pulled thoughtfully to the side at the thought. Of course Tobias would probably be married by that time, have kids or something. That’s what people did when they grew up after all. Only, he’d never really thought about that before. Growing up. It seemed so sudden, to be coming upon them like this. He wasn’t even sure if he was ready to ‘grow up’. He hadn’t ever really entertained the idea of marriage himself, the thought of putting someone he cared about month on month through the same cycle something he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do. Not to mention finding someone who’d actually consent to do it. Or finding a woman he’d want to spend the rest of his life with. He almost laughed at the absurdity of it. He could just picture Tobias holding a kid up by the ankle, trying to attach something resembling a diaper to the small humanoid creature. They were almost there thought weren’t they? To the age where it was normal to start thinking about that kind of thing.
He shook his head back to get on track, forcing his ideas to come more readily to the forefront of his mind. Everyone liked paints; he didn’t know why he had asked her how she felt about paints themselves. Paints were pretty, especially when someone actually picked out the right colors. He didn’t have to search her face to understand how he could be confusing her with the way he was jumping about, although her quick turning motion up to him, eyes searching- her face certainly put it on display. “Alice in Wonderland? It was roses, red.” He huffed slightly, he knew that they had painted the roses red. But really, that was so boring. Red roses were normal. He’d always thought it would be much more interesting had they painted them blue or purple, or just rained paint down on them. It would have been more stimulating that way. But then again they had been worrying about getting their heads cut off. Something he was going to have to consider himself as he found her hand in his own. He hadn’t really thought past persuading her into his way of thinking, something in his enthusiasm he still wanted to do. But that tingling was back, forcing itself into his bones as he grinned down at her, trying to ignore that she didn’t seem to be breathing anymore. Shit. She could cut his head off, he was a dolt. He hadn’t even thought that maybe she would be adverse to him holding her hand. It wasn’t something he’d done before. But it had felt right, it still felt right. Something only cemented as her fingers curled around his. Okay, so no cutting off of his head. His grin stretched even further, pleased that she’d taken the development of … well whatever it was, it was nice. Nice. That seemed like such an understatement. Even the shockwaves her skin against his own caused were pleasant after they seemed to recognize that it wasn’t a brief brush this time, melding into the contact as naturally as it seemed to have formed. Cajole. He had to cajole. He reminded himself swiftly that taking her hand had an intended purpose, beside the actual act itself, and set himself back on task. The fact that touching her seemed to take him completely off track was something he’d think more on later.

She was getting too lost in her own head again too, even if she did seem to be breathing normally again. So he settled on distracting her in the way that he knew best, chanting the lines he could remember from the movie he’d quoted earlier. Well, maybe not the exact lines- but enough to get her back into the mood as well. They were going to paint things the fun way. “Alright fine.” He didn’t even bother to hide his satisfied smile, lips stretching almost impossibly wide as she finally agreed completely. There, he had it in writing. Or as good as. She’d verbally agreed anyways. And he had so many paints they could fool with. He turned his feet in the direction he knew there to be enough plant life to keep them entertained for a while, nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet as he did so. His mood seemed to swell within him, growing impossibly large as her fingers pushing his own apart, sliding between. Warmth. Wasn’t he supposed to be the one warmer in the pair of them? She provided her own sort though, warming him to his toes. “Alright fine, Grass blue, trees yellow...stones purple?” Another enthusiastic nod as he looked over at her when she dropped his hand, shaking his head just slightly before picking it back up between his own and lacing their fingers back together. Because it felt good. He didn’t want to acknowledge whatever heat she seemed to have transfuse from her to his cheekbones, unbeknownst to him lightly tingeing them pink as he said in almost too loud a voice. “Now yer getting’ it!” Idly he swung their joined hands between them, craning his neck to try and find the patch of land he was seeking, nostrils flaring slightly. At least he could be sure no one was really around this part of the grounds, whatever scents had been read had been hours old at least- well most of them. It wasn’t until their feet brought them to the area he’d been seeking that he begrudgingly dropped her hand from his own and immediately fell into a crouch, swinging his bag around and opening it. “I think ay’ve go--- yes!” His fingers had pulled out the set of paints quickly, tubes deposited without further ado on the ground beside him. “We don’ need brushes.” It was a proclamation as much as he would try and pass it off as a suggestion, his fingers already closing the bag once more as he grinned up at her, motioning for her to join him in front of the small bit of shrubbery they’d stopped in front of.

Hopefully it wasn’t some fairies home or something… He glanced at it speculatively before pulling the tube clearly labeled teal up and undoing the cap even as he fell easily onto his bottom, crossing his legs in front of him and smearing the color over the tips of his fingers. “Hm, I tink there’s some purple in dere if yer really wantin it.” Actually he was sure there was, but he wasn’t about to start ordering her what colors to use. Purple was just the last color she’d mentioned. He took his hand slowly, pushing his fingers onto some leaves and pulling downwards, watching the green slowly coat with the teal he’d administered. “Don’ye know whoever finds t’is lot’ll be surprised.”

[Victoria Abernathy]

There were a lot of things that she didn't think that she would have experienced over the past few years if it hadn't been for her present company. Probably far more things than she could actually think of off the top of her head. He tended to push her into things that he knew made her uncomfortable, not that it was always a bad thing. A needed diversion, to keep her from getting to be too stuffy. She should have counted herself lucky, really she should have that he would go so far out of his way so often to keep her normal. Level. She just didn't understand why he bothered, and it tended to cloud her judgment sometimes. Most of all on days like this where she was so buried under the massive piles of books that she wouldn't have surfaced for days. As usual, she would have spent the weekend surrounded by books, attempting to absorb every single thing in the library, muttering to herself while she attempted to cement it in her mind, writing it all down as she went. At least now she knew that this weekend, would likely be spent thinking about the feeling of his hand on her own. As foolish as that might be, she couldn't ignore that within seconds of her dropping her hand from his, not wanting to seem the impertinent female, he had picked it right back up. Was she supposed to think something of that? She hadn't meant to linger in the first place, but was it alright that she had? Was that what he was saying? They were walking, hand in hand. Not like the way her father would pull her along, this felt...well it wasn't familial. Not in the slightest. Best hope your hands don't get too sweaty...It was a fair point, but she couldn't pull away again to check, that would definitely be sending the wrong message. She wanted to hold his hand, of all the people she had entertained fanciful ideas of over the years, she wanted to be holding his hand. He noticed her, even if it was only as a friend.

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth she allowed herself to be lead toward the outer vegetation of the forest. “Now yer getting’ it!” She was quite pleased with how things were going until he started to swing her hand. She had done this with Amina many times before, this was innocent. Stupid girl, of course it is. Thankfully, she was still a few steps behind him, with how long his legs were he was pulling her along. Come on, get over it, no need to be a downer nodding once to calm herself she forced a smile on her face, hoping that none of her idiotic disappointment pushed through. Coming to a stop, he dropped her hand. Instantly her arms brought themselves up to hug against her own torso. It wasn't cold, but she felt a ghost of wind over her for a moment while his back was turned, she could be sad only for a moment. Only a moment, whenever he turns around, you're going to suck it up, or else you might as well go back to class No, she didn't want that. She still needed to see what it was that he was searching for in his bag so very intently. “I think ay’ve go--- yes!” Her neck craned as she lifted her body onto her tip toes, looking over his shoulder to see if she could spot it, pointless, because he brought out the tubes of paint and displayed them proudly for her to see. “Do you always carry around tubes of paint?” to her knowledge, Galaxia didn't offer art courses, but then again she was better logically, so that wouldn't have been a class that she would have opted for, but regardless of the reason it brought her smile back. She supposed it was only fitting, who knew what sort of random things he had in that black bag of his. He was certain to never be bored at least. “We don’ need brushes.” Her eyes widened in surprise, Stop it, he's going to think you're too uptight her eyes glanced down at her hands as they dropped to her sides. She hadn't attempted finger painting since she was a child. Her eyes rolled over the tubes on the ground, taking in the colors and hues of each individual grouping represented on the floor.

There wasn't too much in the way of plant life around them, a speckling of trees dotted with bushes and under growth. They weren't likely to run out of leaves any time soon, that was for certain. She felt a little guilty...defacing nature as she was planning to. Perhaps she could just come back later and clean the mess up on her own. “Hm, I tink there’s some purple in dere if yer really wantin it.” With the invitation, her eyes rolled at his bag, but that made her feel even more guitily. She couldn't just go mucking about in his stuff, any more than she would want him finding out the contents of her purse. They would reveal her to be too boring, and she couldn't afford that. He was really painting the leaves of the shrub he was seated in front of blue. Looking nervously around to see if anybody was watching him, or if anybody would see she moved toward him quickly, plopping herself on the ground next to him, picking up two tubes at random. Folding her legs in front of her and uncapping the first tube, putting the other in her lap she grinned to herself, color rushing to her cheeks simply for the fact that she shouldn't be doing this. He made it look so easy, breaking the rules was like nothing to him. So it would seem, the irony being that they both held positions that were supposed to enforce the rules of the school, and keep people from doing exactly what it was that they were doing. “Don’ye know whoever finds t’is lot’ll be surprised.” the paint that squeezed out onto her fingers was red, of course it was red, Rolling her eyes as she pushed her index finger into the pool of paint in her other palm and then spread it onto the leaves. This was all so pointless, but it was oddly exciting. Her eyes kept darting over the bush to glance at him, so intent on his own leaves. “Don't even think about looking over here...” she started with a bright smile “can't have you peeking till I'm done, might copy...”she was obviously joking, and as soon as she said the words, she realized how stupid they were.

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