Ben Stafford
January 02, 2007 5:26 PM
'Everbody's working for the weekend...' by Ben Stafford
Ben Stafford was fourteen. He realized this fact when, after brushing his teeth one Saturday morning, he took a look in the mirror. Not in a narcissistic, I'm going to look at myself way, but just in passing. His once rounded boyish face was a bit longer, and he certainly was taller than he used to be. His hair had grown out into soft golden curls that wrapped slightly around his ears, and his eyes were still that grey-green they'd always been. From quidditch, Ben had become strong and slim, something he was told a lot during his previous summer in London. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it. It was odd how things had changed.He had even noticed that Lexi had changed. Their annual summer visits in London found Ben, Patrick, and Lexi all hanging out together with some of their English friends at quidditch pitches. Of course, a good part of their trip had been spent with their grandfather, as it always was, but Ben noticed when they were not around Grandfather, Lexi seemed distant, especially in their group of English friends. Patrick had even told him that Lex liked one of the Brits in their guyfriends group, something his twin had never expressed interest in before. They were growing up, and Ben wasn't sure he liked it at all.
After picking up the new edition of Quidditch World Magazine off of his bed, Ben took to the commons. He'd subscribed to the magazine years ago, probably at the age of 8 or 9, when he'd first gotten interested in quidditch. Ben remembered how excited his father was when he first expressed interest in the sport. 'That's my Benny,' he'd said, using the childhood nickname, 'One day you'll be a great player, son.' That was, of course, assuming he kept his studies his first priority and maintained in favor with his tutors. Ben had never been a more dedicated student.
Upon arriving in the commons, Ben settled himself in one of the armchairs. He loved the Aladren Common Room- things usually were quiet enough for study, and one could really think down there. Ben wasn't sure that could have been said for the other commons. Flipping through the magazine, Ben purused the ads for new broom models, quidditch equipment, and National and American Quidditch League sports paraphanalia. He reached a section of interviews just as his eyes grew heavy. Within a moment, Ben's blonde head was drooping, his eyes sliding closed. He knew he should have slept more the night before.
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Ben Stafford
'Everbody's working for the weekend...'
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Bella Santoro
January 04, 2007 10:43 PM
'Everybody wants a little romance' by Bella Santoro
Bella was still only five feet tall. Bella would continue to be only five feet tall until the day she was placed into a coffin and her family said their last farewells. Despite being height challenged, Bella had a way that demanded attention if she so desired it. Some could say that it was in her looks alone. Her dark choppy hair, deep eyes always lined with makeup whether it be dark and mysterious or in some crazy color, or her curves that would someday get her noticed by men. Others would say it was her personality. The way she had no problem telling someone how she felt. Laughed loudly and with pleasure. Or the fact that she could ramble on for days without taking a breath.The only thing Bella knew was that she could get a person's attention with little effort. And that was all that matter. In fact, she thought it was what would get her ahead in the music career as well as allowed her to stick out in her entirely too large of a family.
She had awoken at a decent time that morning. After showering, making her face funky looking with a green star on her cheek and loud purple liner around her eyes, Bella took out her guitar and began to practice the song she was to sing at her brother's wedding. Her guitar wasn't on amp, so she was merely plucking the strings while her voice quietly sang the song. Bella would have rather been rocking out loudly, but she didn't want to ostracize herself from her roommate just yet. Bella wasn't stupid enough to think Anne would go on being okay with the music Bella was producing.
Finally putting her guitar away, Bella made her way down to the commons. Sometimes she questioned why she was placed in this house. Sure, back when she had only been a first year, Bella certainly did belong in this house. Never without a book, always seeking answeres, Bella was made for a house such as this. But now? Now...Bella wasn't sure where she belonged.
Glancing around, a grin crossed her lips when she noticed a boy who seemed to be sleeping in a chair. Ben. They had been on the quidditch team together for two years before Bella had decided to move on from the game and try a different approach to life. Not to mention the fact that they were in classes together and her brother spoke highly of his sister. Walking casually over to his armchair, Bella studied him. Her lips curling slightly, Bella leaned down close to his head and whispered his name. Her voice was barely audible so, clearing her throat slightly, Bella decided to go bolder. "BEN!" Bella shouted his name and with a free hand shook his head a bit to wake him. "Wakey wakey, sleep-do"
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Bella Santoro
'Everybody wants a little romance'
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Ben
January 06, 2007 1:13 AM
'Everybody's going off the deep end' by Ben
It wasn't long after Ben's eyes had slid shut that a voice extremely close to his ear exploded, calling his name. The voice and it's mouthpiece were both closer to Ben's face than he had imagined, as he discovered abruptly as his eyes snapped open. Little Bella Santoro was shaking his head about and rambling something about 'sleep-do'. He grinned, rubbing his eyes."Aw Bella, you're terrible," Ben said through a yawn as he took the time to stretch out his arms and legs in his chair, "You can't let a man get his sleep around here?"
Ben had wondered what was up with Bella lately. He knew that she'd taken up guitar and pretty much stopped playing quidditch. It was sad for him to see Bella quit his favorite pastime, especially since he'd never heard a real reasoning behind her decision.
It also occured to Ben that his fellow Aladren was very physically different, like he'd realized. Bella wore make up these days, like the purple eyeliner and green star she was wearing that day. Bella was also... shaped differently. Ben quickly dismissed the thought as soon as it entered his mind since it lead to, well, other thoughts. He was a teenage boy, afterall.
"So Miss Santoro," he said with a still slightly tired smile, closing his magazine and stuffing it in between the chair cushion and armrest, "Where have you been lately? You're not on the Quidditch team, so I don't get to see you all that often." \n\n
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'Everybody's going off the deep end'
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Bella
January 06, 2007 3:29 PM
'Everybody needs a second chance, oh' by Bella
Bella's smile was large across her face when Ben was finally awoken from whatever state of sleep he had been in. Her face formed a look of mocked surprise, "A Man? Where?" Bella teased, her head whipping around the common to room find this 'man' Ben spoke of. Turning to face Ben once more, Bella's face was light with amusement.Bella busied herself for a moment by pulling the closest thing, which happened to be a table, over and then promptly plopping herself down onto it. She tilted her head slightly as she observed Ben. This was probably the first conversation outside of classes Bella had had in a long while.
Of course, it had to be with Ben Stafford. The only thing they had in common was Quidditch, and even that seemed to be a fleeting thing. Still, Ben amused her and that was saying something.
"Here and there." Bella answered rather vaguely. "I think Anne's still angry with me for quitting the team. Either that, or she just doesn't like me. But I don't see how that could be, I'm like, so cool." Bella exaggerated that last part by striking a pose from her position on the table. Bella relaxed her posture from her position and shrugged slightly. "You can always see me in class, ya know." Bella said
"Besides, is Quidditch all you're about, Benny?" Bella asked, resting her gaze upon him. "Isn't there anything aside from Quidditch that creates passion in Mr. Benjamin Stafford?"\n\n
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Bella
'Everybody needs a second chance, oh'
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Bella
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Ben
January 06, 2007 4:47 PM
Okay, I've run out of Loverboy lyrics... by Ben
"A Man? Where?"Ben couldn't help but pout his lips in mock hurt at Bella's tease, but that quickly gave way to a grin, instantly giving him away. He noticed that she was equally amused by her remarks, something he remembered always liking about Bella. The girl always had something or other to laugh about. It was endearing, though he'd never tell that to anyone else.
He nodded along as she explained her abscence as of late, laughing as she struck a pose from her place seated on the table. Ben shook his head slightly while still in the midst of laughing. Bella was an odd girl sometimes, but she sure kept you on your toes. Ben listened as she finished up by asking about himself, those dark eyes resting on him. He was almost unnerved by the gaze, but Ben shook the feeling off and grinned even wider.
"Oh, Ben is all about quidditch," he replied finally in third person, "and of course we could talk during classes, but it's not the same, and you know that."
For a moment, Ben reflected on what she was really asking. "Isn't there anything aside from Quidditch that creates passion in Mr. Benjamin Stafford?" Wasn't there? Sure, he loved his friends and his family, but what else did he do? The more he thought about it, the more he figured that even though quidditch was his first love, he'd always wanted to do something bigger than himself. Ben had come to the conclusion earlier during the term that being a healer later on in life might be his path.
"Well, Ben Stafford likes people," he finally replied thoughtfully, the grin fading to a more serious but still animated expression, "My Dad and grandfather are healers, as were their dads and grandfathers before them. It's kind of a family tradition thing, but at the same time, I think it's a good one.
"But it's not just because of that, it's because, well-" He paused for a second, "I love quidditch, but I want to help people, you know? And Lexi was the one everyone thought was going to go that way, but now I'm not so sure. It's funny, I haven't even told her that yet because I'm not sure how she'd react, but I can tell you. Isn't that odd?"
Ben realized that Bella probably thought that it was, indeed, very odd, but at the same time he knew she had many siblings. She could understand about not being able to tell even your family somethings, couldn't she? Just in case, he quickly apologized with an almost shy smile; "Sorry, I just have needed to tell someone that for a while now."\n\n
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Okay, I've run out of Loverboy lyrics...
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Bella
January 06, 2007 5:39 PM
Boo, you just don't want to be a softy by Bella
When he started talking in the third person, Bella had to blink a few times just to follow along. She had never actually heard of another person actually doing that and now that she was listening to Ben do it, she didn't really like it much. At least he was only joking and not someone who did it all the time. Bella would probably have had to kick him where it counted just so he knew how painful such a thing could really be."True, talking in class isn't the same, but at least it's still talking." The tone of her voice seemed serious, but the smile that still played on her lips would say otherwise. "Benny, you should get more hobbies if Quidditch is all you are about." Bella stated, still teasing.
As Ben continued to speak, Bella listened intently to his words. Her grin slid away and was replaced by a more curious expression. "You haven't told Lexi that you want to become a Healer cos she was the one expected to be one?" Bella asked, making sure that she was understanding everything correctly. Bella smiled again and shook her at him.
"You're a weird one, Benny Stafford." Bella told him, giggling slightly. "It's okay though, to not tell her just yet. When I told my family I wanted to sing, they were all in a huff. They though for sure I'd become my dad, or follow Jules and become an Auror." Bella said, this time she chuckled louder than when she had giggled. "I like the idea that they think I can kick butt, but I don't want to make it my career. Family just has a way of having expectations and then not know how to handle it when you don't meet them." Bella smiled genuinely at Ben.
"You are an odd boy, Benny." Bella said, standing up from her spot on the table and hovering over him slightly. She leaned over him and reached her hand down the side of the chair where he had stuffed the magazine. "I think, you ought to stop reading-" Her hand grasped the magazine and she pulled it out with a triumphant look on her face, "-magazines about this and start getting yourself out there."
Pausing in her speech, Bella thumbed through the magazine. "Haven't read this one yet." She mumbled to herself before tossing it onto the table. "Or, at least, go have some fun so that you aren't falling asleep on a lovely Saturday. Wasting away until you're an old lonely man."\n\n
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Bella
Boo, you just don't want to be a softy
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Ben
January 08, 2007 10:08 PM
Ouch... Lonely old man? by Ben
Ben laughed as Bella called him 'a weird one', thinking that it was odd for her to be calling him weird. But that was another story entirely, and Bella actually understood about his minor plight. He nodded as she explained what the family thought she was going to do, understanding completely. Ben couldn't deny that as of late, his father had thought he was going to be a pro-quidditch athlete, and he wasn't sure just how to revert to the healer/medic idea."Yes, Mother," Ben replied with a slight grin as Bella continued on to tell him to 'get out there', "What would you suggest I do, Miss I-Know-All?"
His magazine that had been tucked away was promptly ripped from his chair, flipped through, then tossed aside. Ben was a little hurt by the 'old man' comment, but took it in stride, turning any feeling of hurt into a playful laugh. He wasn't going to get down about Bella telling him something Lexi had been telling him his whole life.
"Ouch," he finally said, thumping his hand against his chest melodramatically, "That was brutal, Bella. I'm being a nice guy and you're just taking my magazines and calling me old. You cut me real deep, there."\n\n
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Ouch... Lonely old man?
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Bella
January 08, 2007 11:39 PM
I calls it as I sees it by Bella
Bella stood watching Ben. It was in that moment that she realized something. The two of them were completely different people. Not in a bad way though. Bella was a free-spirit. She lived the life she chose. She spoke her mind without fear or worry of what others would say, do, or react. Ben seemed a bit more confined than that. Of course, Bella was only going off of what she observed. He could be completely different."Miss I-Know-All?" Bella repeated, raising an eyebrow at him, and giving him a serious face for a moment. "I like that...and don't you forget it!" Bella said, giving him a push with her foot before moving back to the table and leaning against it. "And for fun? Well..." She thought for a moment. What did boys do for fun? She was sure of a couple of things, but didn't think they were appropriate to mention. Aside from the fact that the idea of them doing so both made Bella's face blush as well as her body shudder slightly in disgust.
Ben's response to her quip, caused Bella to laugh. "About as deep as a dull spoon can cut. Besides, you're the one who called yourself a man. I was just humoring you." She told him when she caught enough breath to speak. "And anyway, there's plenty to do, like...dancing or taking a walk outside, or even eating some food." Bella said after a bit of thought. "I don't really know what you men do."\n\n
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Bella
I calls it as I sees it
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Bella
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Ben
January 09, 2007 8:06 PM
You do, now? by Ben
Ben wondered for a moment if he'd made a mistake telling Bella that she knew it all. Upon further reflection, he supposed the title couldn't have made her any different than she already was, since titles generally are little but words without real meaning. Ben briefly entertained the idea of voicing the sentiment, but again vetoed the thought for fear of any repercussions they might invoke."You suggest I dance?" he asked cheekily to her statements about things to do for fun, "Be assured that neither of us wants to see that. But as for eating, that certainly is a favorite pastime of all men."
He grinned, leaning back in his chair, his hands now laced together behind his head. Ben streched out his back ever so slightly in the process, his muscles aching for a good workout. He had been so caught up in his schoolwork that he'd been neglecting his late afternoon runs and workouts. The idea that Ben didn't really have anything else to entertain him besides school and quidditch was slightly disconcerting. It just had never occured to him that there could be anything else worth devoting time to. His work in school would help his newly preferred future career in healing, and subsequently aided in the amount of time he was allotted to play quidditch at home.
There was a point where his mother had wanted him to take up voice lessons, claiming he had a lovely tenor voice, but Ben's father had disapproved of the idea and Ben was of a mind to agree with him. Besides, at the time Ben was much more concerned with keeping in his father's favor, who was controlling his exposure to and practice of Quidditch. There wasn't anything wrong with just liking sports, Ben told himself quickly, but maybe you need other hobbies, too.
"If it's any consolation, I have no idea what women like yourself do," he finally added with a sly smile, "And a walk outside sounds like a captial idea at the moment. You want to go for one? Or is that not part of what Miss I-Know-All Santoro does?"\n\n
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You do, now?
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Bella
January 09, 2007 9:16 PM
*pouts* by Bella
"Oh?" Bella responded on the topic of dancing. It was almost like he was challenging her just to have him dance and prove that he was as terrible as he was implying he was. If nothing else, at least it would give Bella something to do...or watch...and perhaps give her a laugh or two.Or, it could be used as some lovely blackmail. Not Bella needed blackmail and certainly not against Ben. But, it would be fun to be able to throw it at him from time to time. "It's really not so hard. You don't even need music to do it." Bella explained. She wasn't a dancer, but that never stopped her before. She loved rhythum, music, the beat beneath the melodies. It was an automatic response for her body to move, sway, or, depending on the music, hop around along with it. "I'm sure at some point I'll get you to dance." It was more of a statement than anything else, but Bella would bide her time before she made her move to make Ben dance.
Bella smirked, "Women like to dance, Benny." Bella commented. "And sing, and run, and read, and talk, and a number of other things that I can name but can't think of at this moment in time." Bella pushed herself off the table and grabbed ahold of Ben's upper arm with both hands. She gave him a tug, though probably did little help as Bella wasn't necessarily the strongest of girls, "Come on, Benny, let's see some sun! Don't want to look pale for the ladies, now do ya?"\n\n
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Bella
*pouts*
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Ben
January 12, 2007 10:29 PM
Psh, you resort to <i>pouting</i>? by Ben
"Yes, I'm miserable at dancing," he replied to her 'oh' with a challenging look, "And I highly doubt you could trick me into dancing."Ben laughed as Bella pointed out that women liked to dance as well as a variety of other things. Well, he was sure of that since the time he'd spent at society parties usually involved dancing for the older set, something he noticed the ladies especially liking. He grinned at her, thought internally wishing he knew more about her. Bella seemed to be a cool person, taken at face-value, but he wondered if she had other sides that could be discovered later in knowing her.
When Bella tugged on one of his arms, Ben unlaced his fingers from behind his head. He stood on his own, laughing to himself. Her tug didn't really have an effect on moving him, but Ben did want to go on a walk, and Bella didn't seem to be the kind who would have given up that easily. Besides, Ben didn't want to be a lonely old man, as she'd suggested that we would be. Not that he really cared what Bella thought. Well, maybe he did. Ben wasn't sure, but stood nonetheless.
"Oh, I'm not tan enough as I am?" he asked with a grin, "It's not my fault I'm hopelessly light skinned, blame my father for being English and completely pale.
"Come on," he said, smiling, as he nodded his head towards the door.\n\n
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Psh, you resort to <i>pouting</i>?
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Bella
January 13, 2007 5:00 PM
Girls are like totally cute when they pout by Bella
"Who said anything about trickery?" Bella asked, her eyebrows raising slightly as she looked at him. "I simply said that eventually I'll get you to dance. There are easier ways of doing so without resorting to tricks, Benny." She grinned at him in a way that screamed innocence. She didn't need to trick him in order to get him to dance. Girls had a way of getting boys to do things whether they were aware of it or not. She should know, she had her three older sisters, her mother, and countless female relatives as proof of that.They had been going to school together for four years, two of those years they spent on the same Quidditch team. But, even after all that time, Bella didn't know much about Ben. Not that that was saying much. Bella had been rooming with Anne for the past four years and probably had about five conversations with the girl total. Anne spent most of her time with Geoff (Bella still believed that the two of them were to marry, even if Anne still denied it). Bella also thought Jake and Jennifer would marry as well, though that seemed to be at a stand still from what she had noticed the last couple of weeks.
In her observations, boys and girls who were friends for so long, eventually become something more. To a girl, that was romantic. It was also obvious and somewhat bland. She had to stop thinking about these things. They were starting to consume her.
Bella waited patiently for Ben to get to his feet, laughing slightly. "Ah, that's right, not everyone can be blessed with great genes." Bella stated, pretending to polish her nails and fluffing up her hair while strutting towards the door.
Looping her arm through one of his, Bella grinned and walked towards the door. "Come on, Benny, maybe we can get you some sun...and a girl or two." She teased.
OOC: Feel free to post in the gardens, or whatnot.
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Bella
Girls are like totally cute when they pout
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