I wasn't! on Labyrinth Gardens

Ash

July 26, 2007 2:31 PM

I wasn't! by Ash

Ash Craven stole the gardens with nothing like his usual sense of cockiness. His eyes slipped constantly from side to side and he threw little glances over his shoulder, his movements furtive. In short, he had the general look of someone that was up to no good. This was a very odd occurrence, because he very rarely was up to any kind of good, yet he usually flaunted his disregard for the rules, relishing playing the scoundrel.

Checking once again that no one was around, he slipped into the shelter of a statue. He couldn't really get in behind, into the small hidey-holes, given his build, and the fact he needed some arm-waving space, but hopefully this was out of the way enough for him not to be obvious from the path; he’d have to hide what he was doing should anyone come along . From under his jacket, he slipped a copy of Intermediate Charms, resenting how bulky it was. Why did text books have to be so huge? Quidditch through the ages was perfect for slipping between the pages of other books, so you could pretend you were studying in class. Unfortunately, if you didn't want to look like a big nerd, the opposite effect couldn't be so easily achieved. Nonetheless, the C.A.T.S exams were almost upon them and, whilst he didn't care about grades, he didn't want to look thick. Sorrel would be taking the exact same exams, so - even though it was cruddy old academics - he was still in direct competition with her, and he had to kick her butt. That was just what he did. Be he was no geek, and he certainly wasn't going to be seen swatting up. He wanted average grades, to place him out of the way of ridicule and to beat his sister, and preferably Stephen, who he could imagine would be insufferable about something like this, but they had to look effortless. Like he just happened to be a pretty damn good wizard. He had the sneaking suspicion Sorrel was doing the same as him. Unless it was some weird result of her being a teenage girl, they'd been spending less and less time as a twinship in the lead up to the C.A.T.Ses, and she kept making totally lame excuses for them not to hang out together. As did he (although, of course, he liked to think his were a little better).

He held the book close, flipping through the pages. Growth charms seemed a good, non-conspicuous place to start, he thought. Unless he accidentally made something like a snail the size of a house but, frankly, he wasn't that good. It would be less obvious than some of the flashing, banging things that Charms could do to stuff. He ripped a few twigs off a near by hedge and placed the on the plinth of the statue, the book propped up next to them. Checking once again that no-one was around, he drew his wand, pointing it at the foliage.

"Engorgio," he muttered awkwardly. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. One twig gave a feeble little flop and rolled over, but that could easily have been the breeze. He shook his shoulders, trying to psyche himself up. He had to cast it properly. Like he meant it. Like he really cared with all his heart that the stupid twigs got bigger. "Engorgio," he cast more firmly. One of the leaves seemed to tremble, like a balloon the moment when you're blowing into it, just before the rubber gives and expands. Unfortunately, rather than swell magestically, the leaf simply popped. Ash cursed, kicking the hedge behind him. That had been closer, he told himself, having vented his temper. He could get this. He had got it before, and was just rusty now. He'd raised his wand for another try, when he thought he heard steps coming along the path. Hastily, he knocked the propped up spell book behind the statue and stowed his wand. He leant back against the smooth carved stone, trying to look nonchalant, and think of a good reason as to why.

0 Ash I wasn't! 0 Ash 1 5

Red Aarden

July 27, 2007 8:59 PM

Good. Neither was I. ...I think? o0 by Red Aarden

It was rather awkward, starting at a new school halfway through her second year. Her first year at Salem Academy had gone brilliantly, she thought; Quidditch, spells, friends, wood nymphs, ghosts--perfect! Sonora was a bit more of a challenge; but even though she wouldn't admit it to herself, Red was beginning to realize that it wasn't Sonora so much as herself. Sure, she was still the boldly outgoing, naively cheerful girl she had been, if rapidly approaching her thirteenth birthday (only a few weeks, now), but after her father's accident and the following scare... well, now she was a little more prone to spend time writing letters to her old friends, her father, and her best friend, Godewyn Schuyler (a Very Adult Wizard of twenty) than chasing gnomes or hunting ghosts.

And it was difficult to make new friendships here, too. Everyone seemed to be so firmly cemented in their alliances. It wasn't that they weren't friendly, really--no one had been out-and-out mean to her--but they had their usual gangs and no one seemed to have much room for a redheaded girl who swore fluently in Dutch and had a tendency for falling over things.

So Red had contented herself with exploring and enjoying the grounds, which were very different from Salem. She missed her old friends--what had ever happened to Del, and how were the other Sal Salis girls getting on?--and Baron Hollow, but the desert was proving to be great fun, and she much preferred the Cascade Hall to the Velvet Hall. The gardens had proven to be a haven, as well; she loved wandering aimlessly around them, jumping around corners to startle others and playing hide-and-seek (she usually sought) with her small gray cat, Anke--as she was now.

"Anke, liefje," she cooed, dropping to her knees to peer under a hedge. The dirt felt good on her knees, where it filtered through the rather large holes in her jeans. "Kit kit kit!" she whispered, crawling deeper into the hedge on hands and knees.

POP! The sound wasn't loud, but coming so close, it rather startled Red, who yelped when she heard the sound of rustling flora immediately afterward, along with curses. Goblins! There must be goblins! No--no, they preferred underground, didn't they? And brownies had a preference for houses--maybe a hobgoblin? Curses, she should study more...

Clambering to her feet, she hurried around the hedge to see what creature it was making such a ruckus. She'd made friends with a wood nymph at Salem--who knew what she could befriend here, at Sonora!

...A boy, apparently. An older boy, who looked simultaneously frustrated and embarrassed. Red blinked perplexedly, then grinned. "What did you make explode?"

0 Red Aarden Good. Neither was I. ...I think? o0 0 Red Aarden 0 5

Lizzie

August 16, 2007 7:03 PM

So sorry to interrupt... by Lizzie

Lizzie Lavine was bored. With exams looming off in the all too near future, she'd taken a more studious and concentrated attitude towards studying. As anyone who knew the often rambunctious teenager could have predicted, this process of "learning" quickly became monotonous and thoroughly unexciting. So after shutting one of her C.A.T.S. books with determined finality, Lizzie had made her way out of the Pecari Commons and into the Labyrinth. Somehow, she figured, wandering around the gardens would make her feel better, more focused. Although Lizzie knew that wasn't entirely true, she set off anyway, her Converses scuffing lazily on the gravel.

Black hair tied neatly out of her face, Lizzie hadn't really bothered to change her appearance after concluding her study session. She was still wearing a pair of faded and comfortably worn-in jeans and low-top sneakers. A casual muscle tee accompanied her other wear; a soft light blue shirt that was cool enough for the end-of-term weather. One hand stuck in her jeans pocket, Lizzie let her other hand rustle against the side of the hedgerow, thinking.

Life was approaching much too rapidly, she decided. Those damned exams that would predict her future career, her eldest brother's marriage, and not to mention the pressures of growing up. Sixteen and seventeen were big ages in her family, not to mention as a member of the wizarding world in general. Sixteen-year-olds were expected to be already lining up their potential husbands, much like her cousin Helena had been doing for the past three years. Not that she was letting that sort of thing bother her. Oh no, Lizzie had decided years ago that she could not and would not let silly rules like that affect her. No, she would do things on her own time. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

Her thoughts were broken at the sound of a voice- well, she thought it was one voice, but it could have been two. The first was a mumble, something she wasn't supposed to have heard, probably wouldn't have heard if it were not for the fact that the garden was, for the most part, silent. The second voice was definitely exclamatory, however, and Lizzie peeked around a bush to investigate. She almost laughed when she caught sight of Ash with a terribly odd expression on his face and some other younger student.

"What are you doing, Ash?" she asked, unable to suppress a giggle while stepping out into plain view, "Entertaining the younger students, or something?"

0 Lizzie So sorry to interrupt... 0 Lizzie 0 5

Ash

August 25, 2007 8:01 PM

Oh great, an audience... by Ash

Ash glared at the question-girl. It was pretty much an automatic reflex to annoying, smaller-than-him people, and she was intruding on something he didn't want people witnessing. And asking questions like he'd want to have a nice chat with her.

"A firstie that was bugging me," he answered her sarcastically. He guessed that was what she was, although he hadn't paid much attention to most people in the bottom few years unless they played Quidditch. However, people passed in and out of the hall and under your feet enough that he'd vaguely recognise most people who'd been here a year, he thought.

Before the little mouse could react to his statement, another member joined their charming party. Although he wasn't really keen to have Lizzie see him getting lip from a younger student, he also knew he wasn't going to get any work done as long as the pipsqueak was around, so some decent company was appreciated. And if the kid vamoosed, he was quite happy to put off his studies a little longer... Well, hopefully. He wasn't entirely sure where things stood with Lizzie. She was cool. They'd snogged a few times. Hopefully she'd be up for doing it again. But her not being his girlfriend, whilst it freed him of responsibility, made it kind of dangerous to assume he could just grab her and stick his tongue down her throat whenever they found themselves alone together.

"Yeah, right," he muttered to Lizzie's comment. Not wanting to seem too abrasive, he added "You know how paternal I am. I wonder every day why I wasn't placed in Teppenpaw." He thought about telling the kid outright to just shoo, but didn't think his pride could take it if she turned out to be stubborn enough just to spite him by staying. Hopefully if he ignored her and was generally gruff she'd get bored and/or intimidated enough to simply wander off on her own accord.

(OOC, I've assumed there would have been a couple more kisses than have happened 'on camera', just cos it seems more likely. Hope that's ok with you. If not, it only affected Ash's thoughts, not actions, so you can go ahead and ignore it).

0 Ash Oh great, an audience... 0 Ash 0 5

Lizzie

September 05, 2007 10:21 PM

Well, if all the world's a stage... by Lizzie

(OOC: I'd pretty much assumed the same thing... I mean, this is Ash and Lizzie we're talking about here... :D And apologies about the late reply... RL and all that.)

Liz couldn't help but revel in Ash's current predicament. She knew being followed into the gardens by a first year girl wasn't exactly something he would have enjoyed. Her relationship with Ash was, as it almost always had been, complicated. Of course she liked him; he was probably the most attractive member of their year. He was athletic, funny, and didn't usually take himself too seriously. Ash was the embodiment of basically everything that her family didn't want her to be "exposed to". Like that mattered to her. In fact, in a way, it made Ash all the more attractive.

"Oh, right," she crossed her arms across her chest with a laugh, "And firsties are so intimidating. It's a wonder you're still standing."

She took a glance around the area, immediately noticing the severely out of place book sitting on the path. For a moment, she assumed it was the first year's book, and picked it up. After flipping through a page or two, Lizzie recognized the fact that it couldn't possibly be a first year's text book, rather, it was a CATS prep book. She'd seen all too much of CATS books in the past month, and nearly dropped the book in disgust.

"CATS prep, I see..." she handed the book back to Ash, "If I never see another one of those books, it'll be entirely too soon. I just can't wait until these things are over with."

Suddenly, Lizzie remembered the first year who was still in their midst. Turning apologetically to the younger student, Liz tried her best "I'm-a-nice-older-student-I-won't-eat-you" voice.

"I'm so sorry, darlin'. Would you mind terribly if I stole this young man from you for a moment? He and I have things we need to discuss, don't we?" Lizzie didn't wait for a reply, continuing, "Of course we do. Now run along and don't get lost in the maze."

Turning back to face Ash, Lizzie smiled softly, all traces of mockery faded, "I miss seeing you around... It seems like all anyone is doing these days is shutting themselves up an studying. I can't stand being cooped up for so long, you know. Thought I'd come out here."

She turned away from him slightly with her arms crossed, rubbing her upper arms as if warding off a chill. In all truth, it wasn't chilly out, but for some reason she was cold. Lizzie surely enjoyed the time she spent with Ash, but those times were fleeting, and they weren't exactly boyfriend/girlfriend, so she couldn't say where they stood. What with the CATS looming in the near future, Lizzie couldn't help but feel like she needed someone that wasn't a straight-A student like Jen to talk to. Someone who wanted to do a little more than just talking.

"Anyway," she turned back around and wrapped one arm lightly around his, "Let's not talk about school. Let's talk about... how about we talk about... us. You know... where this is going."

0 Lizzie Well, if all the world's a stage... 0 Lizzie 0 5

Ash

September 17, 2007 1:59 PM

Then it's time for her to exit, stage left by Ash

(OOC sorry also!)

IC
"I never said they were!" Ash retorted, a little exasperated, wondering where on earth Lizzie had got the impression he was intimidated. To add to his woes, the Charms book had somehow not landed where he intended, behind the statue, but was on the paths.

"Yeah..." he conceded, not seeing any way out of that, "I've got to at least pass, otherwise I'll probably get grounded or some ****," he shrugged. That might have been in part a lie. Their mum was pretty relaxed. But, whilst he'd skipped numerous homeworks, had notes home about pranks and hijinks, he'd never done anything to constitute 'major disappointment'. Apart from the sandstorm escapade, and the reaction to that hadn't exactly been pleasant, so he figured it was safe to assume failing the CATS would be taken seriously. "If you're sick of it then leave it be," he grinned, discarding the book back onto the paths. "I'm sure I can provide you with alternative entertainment," he assured her, ready to slip an arm around her, when she spoke to the assumed-to-be-first year, reminding him of her presence.

"Yeah, apparently there's a chimera in it," he added when Lizzie told her to get lost from them, but not in the maze. Once the kid had scrammed, Lizzie entwined an arm in his and suggested they no longer talked about school. That was fine by him, he thought, turning Lizzie a little and slipping an arm around her waist, hoping perhaps she meant they should stop talking altogether. But then the words dreaded by men everywhere were spoken. 'Let's talk about us... Where is this going?' Ash froze automatically at the words, which suggested marriage, children and a golden retriever. But then sense caught up to him. He and Lizzie had been fooling around for quite a while, she was probably wondering, in a girly kind of a way, what he'd been wondering in a blokeish way; were they "going out" now. She just phrased it as security, whereas he thought of it more as a free-pass to gropesville.

"Wanna be my girlfriend?" he shrugged, leaning back against the plinth of the statue, the arms around Lizzie's waist meaning she was pulled with him. Perhaps that wasn't the most "romantic" way of putting it. And, although he liked her cos she was a rough and tumble kind of girl (of which he particularly enjoyed the "tumble" aspect) she seemed to be having a girly moment. The casual way he'd asked made him feel better about having to ask, so he figured he could indulge her a bit. Especially as she seemed to be wanting to be asked, so the chance of rejection was minimal. He squeezed her waist lightly, leaning down and kissing her neck. "Why would I want to give up getting to do this with the hottest girl in Sonora?" he murmured in her ear, kissing the skin just behind it.

0 Ash Then it's time for her to exit, stage left 0 Ash 0 5

Lizzie

September 30, 2007 12:21 AM

Agreed by Lizzie

(OOC: Apologies.)

Although Lizzie certainly could not have pinned Ash as the debonair, "Dar-ling I Love You" Cary Grant character, he could have at least done a little better than "Wanna be my girlfriend?". Mild disappointment aside, Lizzie couldn't help but blush slightly. The over-excited teenage girl in her wanted desperately to jump around and scream with the exhilaration of the question. Of course she would want to be his girlfriend, why on earth would she have asked questions like that otherwise? Still, it wouldn't be right without making Ash squirm a tiny bit.

"Well, I don't know..." she said, letting herself get pulled along, "You just might have to prove to me you'd be a good boyfriend for me. I mean, no wussy 'I'm-too-cool-to-have-emotions' s**t. But somehow I don't foresee that being a problem with you."

She let him kiss her, thoroughly enjoying herself. Besides, he did have a excellent point- who wouldn't want to date her? Well, forget everyone else, all Lizzie really cared about at the moment was the current boy interested in dating her. With a sly grin, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head away for a moment before meeting his wandering mouth with her own. She couldn't help but let her slim fingers play with the soft ends of his hair near the nape of his neck. As girly as he might have thought her insistence on the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing was, Lizzie did know how to play the rough and tumble game, and she did play it well.

0 Lizzie Agreed 0 Lizzie 0 5