Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 4, 2004 12:08:20 GMT
OOC: Invite only - thanks, guys.
Branden wandered slowly through the Library, enjoying the quiet.
He loved libraries; as he walked he could feel the knowledge in the room, the secrets thousands of books held between their bindings. It wasn't oppressing, though - sometimes it can be a comfort to know that there are things larger and more enduring than oneself.
He walked on, lost in thought.
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 4, 2004 12:38:39 GMT
"Yet another student to grace our magical halls," commented a wry voice from one end of the room, just loud enough to be audible for the boy alone. "Quite enthralling, isn't it?"
The owner of the voice was Laura, one of the four Gryffindor Prefects. She had been keeping a low profile recently, quite upset by Gryffindors defeat in the Quidditch Cup, a loss for which she felt solely responsible for. She regarded the new addition to the list of students with mild interest over the top of her book, Bewitchments for the Bamboozled.
Sitting up slowly, she brushed her tumble of long, dark hair out of her bright eyes, and put down her book, marking the page with a scrap of parchment that looked like it had served this purpose many times before. She lazily got to her feet, and walked over, extending a hand of welcome.
"Laura Black, one of the Gryffindor Prefects. It's always a delight to meet new students," she added, though her tone hinted that she might just be less than sincere. "May I ask, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 4, 2004 12:56:16 GMT
Branden turned and appraised the girl with raised eyebrows, a slow grin spreading across his face. She was pretty, but she obviously had a sharp wit. No airhead, this one. Sarcastic, too.
He liked that.
He took a step forward and gripped the girl's hand firmly. "Branden McArthur. A pleasure to meet you, Laura," he said, his eyebrows raised and his eyes twinkling.
"Been here long?"
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 4, 2004 13:11:34 GMT
"Far, far too long," replied Laura, affecting a histrionic sigh. "It'll be quite the downfall of my state of mind, I swear." She dropped the manner that she had assumed, and awarded him a genuine grin.
A fair few people had been put off in the past by her flippant mode of conducting herself, but she personally didn't find it that much of a loss. If people were to judge her by her withering approach to life, well, it wasn't her problem.
"And how about you? You're not someone I've met before, I'm sure," she mused, taking in his features slowly, as if she was examining a piece of art, perhaps painting, or a sculpture. She knew full well that her behavior might be perceived as insolence, but frankly, she wasn't concerned. She didn't mean it in a discourteous way, she was merely curious.
"But I suppose my not knowing anything isn't much of a surprise. Been in this institution a long while?" she enquired, her lips curving into a sardonic smile. Despite herself, she was finding his smile disarming, and didn’t feel any inhibitions when voicing her opinion of the school.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 5, 2004 3:46:02 GMT
Branden chuckled, flicking his dark hair out of his eyes. Her scrutiny of his features was obvious, and he hoped it was a good thing. "No, I'm fairly new here. So far the place seems... interesting..." He grinned, gesturing to indicate the grounds.
He raised an eyebrow, taking a moment to examine Laura's appearance as closely as she had his. Her long fall of dark hair was her most striking feature... until you got to her eyes. At first glance, she could be any one of the number of pretty girls that thronged the halls and didn't know crucio from curium - but not once you saw her eyes. Bright green, they gleamed with intelligence and twinkled when she smiled.
All in all, she definitely seemed like someone worth knowing.
He locked eyes with her, grinning again. "So. A prefect, hm?" he asked rhetorically, his eyes belying the mocking tone. "A good girl, are we?"
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 5, 2004 9:51:50 GMT
Laura received the returned scrutiny of the boy in good humour, but this was no surprise. She was slow to take offence at anything, but God help you if you strayed across the path of her unleashed fury. Luckily, few had experienced this, and she was generally well liked enough.
"Oh well, I do endeavour to live up to my title," she said, the hint of drama returning to her manner, "But there is of course the occasional laps in perfect behaviour for even the best of people..." She trailed off, grinning.
"I'm not actually sure why I currently am maintaining my position, other than the fact I've had it for so long. But that in its self is a miracle." She shrugged, suddenly somewhat serious.
"I hope it wasn't just because of my Quidditch achievements. You see, I brought the sport to this school," she added with a shrug. "I wasn't the best student, I'll admit. Never cared that much about anything that the teachers had to say; I preferred to study my own interests in each subject."
She rolled her eyes, the dry smile once more returning to its usual place. "I should have warned you not to get started on talking about me, it's a never-ending tale, which isn't all that enthralling when I look upon it in hindsight," she admitted, shaking her head.
"Onto you. Care to open up your heart to this stranger?" she teased, still grinning.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 6, 2004 2:45:50 GMT
Branden chuckled, leaning nochalantly against a bookshelf. He felt he could be himself around this girl, but was still a little on guard. This was someone he didn't want to get on the wrong side of.
"Well," he said, grinning over at Laura. "What do you want to know? I'm just an average student, another newbie..." As he spoke, his voice tinged with sarcasm, he watched her eyes, waiting for a reaction.
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 6, 2004 8:35:34 GMT
"No need to write yourself off so easily," said Laura, shaking her head slightly. "Believe me, there will be many in life prepared to pass judgment on you, why add any your own self critique?"
Though her tone was even, there seemed to be an underlying suggestion of bitterness and resentment in her words. She ran a hand through her dark tresses, briefly concealing eyes that had momentarily glinted with anger.
"I'm sorry if I seem too cynical," she apologised suddenly, relaxing slightly and letting her arm fall once more to her side. "It's just...ah, you know," she said, shrugging slightly and looking away.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 6, 2004 9:22:50 GMT
Branden's eyes widened slightly at seeing a glimpse of the pain underneath Laura's flippant exterior. He stood up and walked over to her, concern etched across his face.
"No... I don't know." After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Did you want to talk about it?" He winced inwardly. A pathetic line, but he couldn't think of a better way to word it.
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 6, 2004 9:35:04 GMT
Laura shook her head, a genuine smile returning to her face. "Prejudice has never been something I've tolerated very well, that's all," she informed him, with a finality in her tone that made it evident that she did not with to explain further.
"But once again, I am the subject of conversation. Tell me, how does this school compare to your last? Did you play any Quidditch there?" she added, her interest real. She was intrigued by her latest associate, but felt she really knew very little about him.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 8, 2004 2:50:52 GMT
Branden grinned back and dropped his hand, the awkward moment past. He really did feel comfortable around this girl.
"I play a bit..." He brushed his hair out of his eyes again, giving an embarassed grin. "No vacancies here, though, they tell me. Guess I'll have to find another hobby." His eyes twinkled again. From the tone of her voice when she asked the question, it was obvious Laura was passionate about her sport, and the socially accepted thing to do now would be to ask her about it...
So he wouldn't.
"Are you musical at all? I mean... I don't know, maybe it's just a Muggle thing... is there wizard music?" He watched her eyes, grinning broadly. He wanted to see how she reacted...
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 8, 2004 14:03:25 GMT
Laura gave him an appraising look, then her lips curved in a half smile. She shoot her head, as if to let him know that she had caught on to his plan, but all of a sudden felt slightly muddled in the head.
"Ah, of course there is Wizarding music," said Laura, suddenly vague. Once again, she held a hand to her forehead, feeling a sudden wave of nausea sweeping over her. Blinking to clear her vision, she tried to gather her thoughts together once more, something proving difficult.
What had they been saying? The past few hours were strangely blurring into a kaleidoscope of colours, quickly merging then separating before her eyes. "I'm sorry, can we please sit down? I'm not feeling to well," she said quickly, the words tumbling out over each other, not quite in complete control.
(ooc) Symptoms of Plague, to assist major plot development.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 9, 2004 0:36:36 GMT
Branden reached out and grabbed Laura's shoulder, lowering her into a chair, worry written across his face.
"Of course," he said falteringly. "You... are you alright?" He winced inwardly. Stupid question...
"I mean... what's wrong? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?" He leaned down and watched her eyes, his voice laden with concern.
|
|
|
Post by Laura (away) on Jul 9, 2004 5:04:33 GMT
Laura rubbed her eyes furiously as she sank into the chair, unable to understand what had brought on this feeling of sickness that had arisen so quickly. She was unable to keep her hands from shaking slightly as she rubbed her hands over her face, trying to resist the urge to throw up.
"I think I'll be alright," she said after a moment, unable to resist the urge to impress. She had never been one inclined to display weakness; she felt that people would judge her if she showed overt emotion, or poor health.
She looked up, trying to put on a smile, but felt the world spinning around her, and had to grab onto the arms of the chair she was seated on to prevent herself from falling to the ground.
|
|
Branden
New Member
Ravenclaw Student
Wandering...
Posts: 241
|
Post by Branden on Jul 12, 2004 4:19:37 GMT
"Whoa," said Branden, gently grabbing her shoulders. "You're coming to the Hospital Wing. You're not well."
He squatted down to look in her eyes. She definitely did not look well. He stood up again, gently easing her upright. "Come on," he said, draping her arm around his hsoulder. "Let's get you out of here."
|
|