10 Feb 2020, 22:28
You Saw Nothing
@Flash Holmwood
Somewhere.
Somewhere.
Anywhere.
Ruka didn‘t know what time it was anymore, didn‘t really care either.
Time wasn‘t important anymore.
He looked a mess, he knew that; His copper hair was ruffled, sticking away at all possible angles, there were heavy bags under his eyes, his clothes were creased and carelessly tossed together. He was pretty sure he was wearing two different socks, and his t-shirt was inside out, but...
Somewhere.
He had to have been walking through the dungeons forever, barefooted as usual, Jack‘s fedora perched lazily on top of his head. His wand was grasped firmly in his hand, the tip of it ablaze with a Lumos charm, because this horrible part of the castle was so dark, despite the torches, that Ruka had stumbled over seemingly nothing twice already.
It had to be somewhere.
He sighed as he stopped his insistent pacing for a moment, reaching a hand up to rub at his burning eyes. He couldn‘t really remember when he‘d last slept.
Two days ago?
Three?
Did it matter?
Ever since the Tea Party, things had been going steadily downhill for him, no matter if he wanted to admit it or not.
At first he had thought he was imagining it, that it was just unfortunate coincidence, but after a couple of days, Ruka was convinced; Jack was avoiding him.
He didn‘t have a real explanation for it, only a hunch that he didn‘t want to think about too much, but it was undeniable that Jack‘s absence in his life had started a domino effect of bad behaviour in him.
Jack not being there meant that nobody was force feeding him anymore on his bad days, which had resulted in him skipping meals again.
Without Jack nobody was helping him with his class assignments so his past few marks had been less than desirable at best due to his lack of focus and commitment.
Since Jack still had the picture of his dad, there was nothing there for him to look at when things got too bad - aside from the Slytherin‘s fedora which was only a reminder that Jack wasn‘t around anymore - and it had given him sleepless nights all over again.
Why couldn‘t he find it?
It was worst during the day, when he had to talk to people and pretend like everything was fine, when other students in his class tapped his shoulder and asked for notes and he felt like bursting into tears at every single physical contact, which was exactly why he had mostly resigned himself to the Gryffindor common room.
Mostly.
Until he had snapped.
Was he really going to sit around to wait for Jack to maybe get a grip again someday? Shouldn‘t he go out there and confront the Slytherin about why he had so suddenly decided to keep his distance without even a warning?
Shouldn‘t he at least demand his dad’s picture back?
Ruka reached up to trace the scar on his forehead, a reminder of getting his head slammed down on the table at the Valentine‘s Party.
A reminder of the last day he‘d seen Jack, when he had thrown himself at that girl in Ruka‘s defense and then decided to vanish off the face of the earth.
At least he still had Jack‘s fedora.
He looked around, lit wand pointing at the walls to his right.
It had to be somewhere.
But the Slytherin common room stayed hidden, and the dungeons were empty so he wasn‘t even able to follow any unsuspecting Slytherin students to the entrance.
He wasn‘t even sure what his plan of attack was exactly; his Gryffindor robes would give him away immediately, and even if he did manage to get inside the common room, what was he going to do? Ask around until someone could point him in Jack‘s direction?
Corner the Slytherin in his dorm room and yell at him?
Rummage through his stuff until he‘d found his picture?
It didn‘t matter.
He had to do something because clearly Jack wasn‘t about to join him at the Gryffindor table for breakfast anymore, and Ruka couldn‘t - wouldn‘t - go on like that.
A noise to his left made him startle.
There was an entrance.
A gap in the wall, a door that hadn‘t been there before, and emerging from it were two Slytherin girls animatedly chatting to each other as they passed him by.
Ruka held his breath for a moment as he took his chance.
He slid past the Slytherin girls and towards the Common Room entrance, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
This was it, this was his chance, to get to Jack, to get his picture, to get his life back on track again.
He could see dim light from the room beyond the entrance, could hear voices already, was so close, almost there, and -
He stopped in his tracks just as he was about to slip through the doorway, heart falling, lungs constricting, legs shivering.
Right there in front of him, right in his path, probably about to leave the common room, stood a Slytherin boy, blocking his entrance, and all Ruka could do was take a step back and lower his wand.
„Nox,“ he said quietly. Clearly he wouldn‘t need the light anymore now that he‘d found the Common Room.
He just wished he had a spell for making this boy forget that he just saw his embarrassing attempt of infiltrating their common room.
What a stupid idea.
Last edited by Ruka Burnett-Tân on 18 Feb 2020, 13:45, edited 1 time in total.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
11 Feb 2020, 12:40
You Saw Nothing
Flash was completely unprepared for what he saw. He had been spending the last few moments of the evening re-reading some confusing passages in his potions textbook, and was lounging around the common room so he didn’t bother the students in his dorm room who had already gone to bed. Even though it was almost curfew, there were a few Slytherins who stayed up long into the night, even though Flash wasn’t normally one of them. He preferred fresh air and daylight, something the dungeons hadn’t even a scant trace of. Instead, he was inconvenienced when a pair of girls leaving the common room left the dungeon door wide open, no doubt not wanting to have to say the password to re-enter. He got up to close it for them, but was accosted by a different sight altogether.
Right outside of the door was a dishevelled Gryffindor, his eyes bloodshot and his outfit in comical disarray. He was sweating, looking more like an escaped prisoner than a Hogwarts student, as he looked Flash dead in the eyes and turned off his light source, as if that would change what Flash had already seen. After a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark hallways again, he stepped out into the hall, took the boy by the arm and quicky guided him away from the commons.
”This way.” Flash said, with a sense of urgency to his voice.
The waif was guided effortlessly, being pulled along as if by the tides of the ocean. Flash had an internal map of the dungeons in his head already, even though he detested staying in them for too long. It was important to know where to run to when one needed to be out of the way, and while it wasn’t a secret to anyone, there was a storeroom of sorts not too far from the Slytherin common room with unused furniture and materials from when the commons had been recently redecorated. It was a tight fit, and it still smelled like paint, but it was the only thing nearby. If they tried to talk in the halls, the cavernous walls would echo even the softest whisper off into the distance. Down there, things had to be said behind closed doors.
As Flash pulled the boy along, he felt his skin was prickled and cold. By sound alone he could tell he wasn’t even wearing shoes. It was fascinating. There was no doubt that this was well within Flash’s purview, and he tried to quickly think of his point of access. The boy was tired, dogged, and maybe even desperate. He reminded Flash of the cornered dark wizards his older brother would talk about, who try to bargain and plead before they’re inevitably taken to Azkaban. With someone like that, a bargain was probably what they were after. They would be willing to digest a terrible meal if it meant they got to eat.
It was, Flash admitted to himself, a bit dangerous to get involved with desperate people. He had never been party to such an unusual circumstance before, but it made room for itself in his thoughts like a welcome friend. His gut was twisted in anticipation, worried he might be stepping into something far out of his depth, but he tried to pretend the feeling wasn’t there. Instead, he ushered the boy into the storeroom and closed the door behind them.
The room was lit, though the light hung in the air above them, casting a shadow over the stranger’s face so long as he wore the skewed fedora on his head. Even obscured, Flash had a sneaking suspicion of who the late night visitor might be. He also finally settled on his approach.
”You’re lucky it was me who found you. There’s a lot of vipers down here, you know.” Flash said with an exasperated sigh, as if scolding a little brother. He wanted to throw out his guess, knowing he wouldn’t lose anything if he was wrong. If he was right, though, the reaction was sure to be an interesting one. ”Are you here to see Burnett?”
@Ruka Tân
Right outside of the door was a dishevelled Gryffindor, his eyes bloodshot and his outfit in comical disarray. He was sweating, looking more like an escaped prisoner than a Hogwarts student, as he looked Flash dead in the eyes and turned off his light source, as if that would change what Flash had already seen. After a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark hallways again, he stepped out into the hall, took the boy by the arm and quicky guided him away from the commons.
”This way.” Flash said, with a sense of urgency to his voice.
The waif was guided effortlessly, being pulled along as if by the tides of the ocean. Flash had an internal map of the dungeons in his head already, even though he detested staying in them for too long. It was important to know where to run to when one needed to be out of the way, and while it wasn’t a secret to anyone, there was a storeroom of sorts not too far from the Slytherin common room with unused furniture and materials from when the commons had been recently redecorated. It was a tight fit, and it still smelled like paint, but it was the only thing nearby. If they tried to talk in the halls, the cavernous walls would echo even the softest whisper off into the distance. Down there, things had to be said behind closed doors.
As Flash pulled the boy along, he felt his skin was prickled and cold. By sound alone he could tell he wasn’t even wearing shoes. It was fascinating. There was no doubt that this was well within Flash’s purview, and he tried to quickly think of his point of access. The boy was tired, dogged, and maybe even desperate. He reminded Flash of the cornered dark wizards his older brother would talk about, who try to bargain and plead before they’re inevitably taken to Azkaban. With someone like that, a bargain was probably what they were after. They would be willing to digest a terrible meal if it meant they got to eat.
It was, Flash admitted to himself, a bit dangerous to get involved with desperate people. He had never been party to such an unusual circumstance before, but it made room for itself in his thoughts like a welcome friend. His gut was twisted in anticipation, worried he might be stepping into something far out of his depth, but he tried to pretend the feeling wasn’t there. Instead, he ushered the boy into the storeroom and closed the door behind them.
The room was lit, though the light hung in the air above them, casting a shadow over the stranger’s face so long as he wore the skewed fedora on his head. Even obscured, Flash had a sneaking suspicion of who the late night visitor might be. He also finally settled on his approach.
”You’re lucky it was me who found you. There’s a lot of vipers down here, you know.” Flash said with an exasperated sigh, as if scolding a little brother. He wanted to throw out his guess, knowing he wouldn’t lose anything if he was wrong. If he was right, though, the reaction was sure to be an interesting one. ”Are you here to see Burnett?”
@Ruka Tân
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
11 Feb 2020, 18:40
You Saw Nothing
@Flash Holmwood
Whatever his plan had been, getting caught in the act definitely hadn’t been part of it.
Ruka startled at the sight of the boy in front of him, blue eyes piercing him like a spear. For a moment nothing happened, and a part of him wanted to just turn around and run away.
What was the harm, right? It wasn’t quite curfew yet and he hadn’t actually done anything to warrant punishment, right? Nobody would really be able to prove what he had tried to do.
Except, Ruka didn’t know this boy, didn’t know what he was capable of, didn’t know if he had any way of getting evidence of what had just happened; Maybe he had a camera.
A camera.
That’s what he had come here for, his picture, the picture Jack had to have somewhere in there with him, hidden away and forgotten about.
No, he couldn’t leave, wouldn’t leave, and he was about to tell this boy as much when he felt himself suddenly being lead down the corridor, following obediently like a dog on a leash.
Maybe it was the tiredness, maybe it was his desperation, but Ruka didn’t put up a fight at all as the Slytherin seemed to steer him away from his original goal and instead into some sort of... storage room?
The smell was horrendous, the furniture thrown together at random, little trinkets lying around here and there, sparkling in the shadows like fairies.
Ruka felt disoriented for a moment, dizzy from the sudden change of location. Was he going to get murdered in here? With his streak if bad luck he really wouldn’t have been surprised.
However, the other boy started talking before Ruka could get his wits back together, and he didn’t sound like he was about to commit a murder. He sounded more like he was scolding Ruka for his recklessness, like he had expected the Gryffindor to better consider the consequences of his actions.
“I-,” Ruka started, eyes wide, his left hand clutching at the sleeve of his cloak, his right hand trembling around his wand. His mind went restlessly through every spell he knew, trying to settle on one he would be able to use should this boy turn out to be of any sort of danger to him.
Ruka wanted to say something, something smart, something witty, something he would have said to Jack in this situation.
We’re in the dungeons, I’m sure I can find a bezoar if I need one or Vipers should fear my fire more than I fear their poison.
Instead, he gurgled uselessly.
Maybe these were the after effects of that hit he had gotten to the head. Maybe he just hadn’t talked to people enough recently to still be able to get words out the way they were supposed to be used.
Taking a deep breath, Ruka opened his mouth as if to try out the act of speaking, as if to make sure his vocal chords were still there and functioning, but before he could make more sound than a shaky “Uh” the boy in front of him had asked him the one question he had least expected to hear.
Immediately he paled, a look of absolute fear crossing his face. “How do you know that?” he blurted out before he could really think about how to answer the question without seeming like a lunatic.
He almost reflexively lifted his wand and took a step back from the boy. Who was he? How had he known?
Maybe a friend of Jack’s.
Yes, maybe Jack had talked about Ruka, maybe he’d been looking for him too, to talk, to return his picture.
Or maybe this boy was actually a Legillimens and was currently scanning Ruka’s brain for all the information he could possibly need to figure out everything he had wanted to do.
Maybe Ruka just needed to get some sleep.
“I mean, I’m not... I don’t...” He stumbled over his words like a criminal on the run, breath heavy, eyes moving from side to side like he was a cornered animal.
What would Jack think if he knew Ruka had been starving himself again, hadn’t been sleeping, and had been trying to get into a Common Room he wasn’t allowed in just to get his dad’s picture back again.
God, he really hoped this boy wasn’t going to tell Jack any of this.
“I just... haven’t seen him in a while,” he said eventually, reaching up to take the fedora off his head and hold it against his chest like it was a sacred object in need of protection. “How do you...” He eyed the boy from top to bottom, trying to figure out if he had seen him around before. “Do we... know each other?”
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
11 Feb 2020, 22:35
You Saw Nothing
The boy stuttered through attempted responses, but seemed more panicked than reassured. He was still clutching his wand, a detail Flash was none too happy to notice. When he removed the hat, the light reached his face, revealing sunken eyes, sallow skin, and the telltale mark on his head that Flash had expected to see. There was no doubt: this was Ruka Tân. He was right in his estimation, though he had underestimated the effect his knowing would have. To him, knowing things about other people was like the act of breathing, an unending process and a necessity of survival. He still needed to be reminded what was acceptable from time to time.
Although Flash wasn’t eager to associate himself with Burnett, he had to explain himself before Ruka lashed out. Flash raised his hands up in a lazy kind of shrug, opening up his body language to appear harmless.
”Burnett and I talk. We’re dormmates.” Flash said quickly, putting on a smile despite his growing discomfort. This much, at least, was true. It was important to tell the truth, or at least as much of the truth as one needed to know. ”We haven’t met, until now. I’m Flash.”
Hat in one hand and wand in the other, Flash knew Ruka wasn’t about to shake his hand and start getting along. Given the apparent stress he was under, there was already a lot of damage control to get through before Flash could get to the core of his curiosity. He could only hope that in the dim light of the dingy storeroom his act of confidence was convincing.
”And you’re Tân, right? It was just a guess.” Now that Ruka’s face was visible, Flash watched it carefully for any sign of acceptance of the scenario he was building for him. ”You come here on the cusp of curfew, ready to break the rules to see him, huh? Sorry to say you’ve missed him, he’s fast asleep. Maybe that’s for the best though, who knows what he would think if he saw you like this.”
Although Flash wasn’t eager to associate himself with Burnett, he had to explain himself before Ruka lashed out. Flash raised his hands up in a lazy kind of shrug, opening up his body language to appear harmless.
”Burnett and I talk. We’re dormmates.” Flash said quickly, putting on a smile despite his growing discomfort. This much, at least, was true. It was important to tell the truth, or at least as much of the truth as one needed to know. ”We haven’t met, until now. I’m Flash.”
Hat in one hand and wand in the other, Flash knew Ruka wasn’t about to shake his hand and start getting along. Given the apparent stress he was under, there was already a lot of damage control to get through before Flash could get to the core of his curiosity. He could only hope that in the dim light of the dingy storeroom his act of confidence was convincing.
”And you’re Tân, right? It was just a guess.” Now that Ruka’s face was visible, Flash watched it carefully for any sign of acceptance of the scenario he was building for him. ”You come here on the cusp of curfew, ready to break the rules to see him, huh? Sorry to say you’ve missed him, he’s fast asleep. Maybe that’s for the best though, who knows what he would think if he saw you like this.”
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
12 Feb 2020, 02:14
You Saw Nothing
@Flash Holmwood
Ruka was acutely aware of the fact that the kid in front of him had spotted the scar on his forehead the second that the hat had come off, and it was in that moment that he realised that he was probably currently known around Hogwarts as the kid that got his head smashed into the table at this year’s Valentine’s Tea Party.
What a reputation to behold.
Once the Slytherin introduced himself as Flash, saying that he was Jack’s dorm mate, Ruka raided his brain for a name like that, maybe mentioned in passing, but he couldn’t seem to remember an instance in which Jack may have mentioned him.
No, the only dorm mate Ruka knew about was Fangs, and knowing that Jack didn’t actually do friends, he doubted that Flash was really all that close to him.
Unless they had met and bonded over the last few days, while Jack had gained all that free time by not fawning over Ruka like a concerned mother hen anymore.
The thought made him feel an irrational wave of jealousy shooting up his spine.
However, Flash had just said they were dorm mates which was the same title Jack had also given Selim, and by Jack’s own words Selim wasn’t much more than a contractual partner than anything else. Maybe it was the same situation with this kid as well.
Ruka shuffled around a little uncomfortably, sock clad feet scraping the cold floor underneath. He looked down at his feet, one red, the other black, as he tried to come to terms with the fact that Flash knew his name without even asking for it.
For someone who usually remained in the background and didn’t like to draw too much attention - unless it was for the sake of a performance - it was strange to hear someone use his name without him having given it first.
Especially his last name, which nobody ever really used to address him with.
Except for Jack.
The familiarity of it made Ruka lower his wand, arm limply hanging by his side as he let Flash continue talking.
“I-,” he started again, trying to defend his actions somehow, but the Slytherin’s words had pierced him like an arrow straight through his heart.
What would Jack think if he saw him like this? Would he be disappointed? Angry? Worst of all, would he maybe not even care at all?
“Please don’t tell him,” he pleaded desperately, finally tucking away his wand. His blood shot eyes widened in fear at how his already clearly broken relationship with Jack could potentially be made even worse with just a few words from this kid. “I didn’t... i just wanted to talk to him, really” He lifted his now free wand-hand to run it through his ruffled hair, messing it up even more with the gesture.
Had he had a mirror to look into at this moment he would have probably melted into the ground out of shame at how he looked.
He must have resembled a drug addict who went cold turkey, desperate for just a small hit of his latest addiction.
Already growing up Ruka had had a tendency to cling to things too much; it was most likely a result of never really having owned much of anything at all. Every single belonging he and his dad had had was valuable, a treasure.
After losing his dad, what did he really have left to cling to? An old picture and this fedora?
Sighing in defeat he looked back up at Flash. The boy was a good deal taller than him, but most people at Hogwarts were, so he didn’t let it bother him too much.
Flash’s newfound knowledge of Ruka’s actions and intentions was far more intimidating than his height.
“It was a stupid idea coming here,” he admitted gravely, shaking his head at himself as he put the fedora back on and took a small step back as if preparing to leave.
He shouldn’t be here.
“Please just don’t, I... I just wanted to know why he was avoiding me, and...”
And to ask for my picture back, he wanted to say but stopped himself in time. That picture was none of Flash’s business, he’d given it to Jack in complete confidentiality, and no matter what, Ruka trusted him to be keeping it safe and well hidden from prying eyes.
With a dismissive wave of his hand, Ruka turned towards the door. “I better leave,” he said, heartbeat speeding up nervously. “Like you said, it’s almost curfew and I... Just, please don’t tell him about this?”
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
12 Feb 2020, 06:25
You Saw Nothing
Flash couldn’t tell if it was the nausiating smell of the paint getting to him, or if this Gryffindor was actually giving him a headache. Most kids around their age loved to talk about themselves. Give one of them the most lukewarm interest in their thoughts and they would tell you their life story. Ruka was clearly keeping everything tightly to his chest, even in his delirious state.
The fact of the matter was Flash knew practically nothing about either of the two of them. In a normal conversation, Ruka would have been filling in the gaps himself. But instead of pulling the strings, Flash was only succeeding in getting them tangled. He was no closer to understanding the series of events leading to this meeting than he had been when he saw him at the door.
Flash almost wanted to just let him go. He wasn’t all that interested in Burnett’s business, and it was late enough that he was getting tired. The growing headache, too, was making him impatient. He wanted to fly off the handle and tell him off, but that was more out of frustration and disappointment than it was anything Ruka actually did.
It’s no wonder he’s avoiding you. You’re pathetic. If he said it out loud, he would get a spell cast on him for sure.
Still, the challenge was hard to just let go. If Flash was ready to drop things as soon as they got difficult, he was never going to be worth anything. Even if he didn’t have the information he needed to make Ruka dance for him, he couldn’t let him leave for nothing.
”Really? I’m supposed to just not tell him, am I? What about Professor Pendrast, then? I was willing to hear your side of the story, but this doesn’t look good.” Flash’s face was no longer smiling and inviting. ”Maybe you’re mad at Burnett. Maybe you wanted to get back at him. Breaking the rules, swearing me to silence… it doesn’t look good at all.”
The fact of the matter was Flash knew practically nothing about either of the two of them. In a normal conversation, Ruka would have been filling in the gaps himself. But instead of pulling the strings, Flash was only succeeding in getting them tangled. He was no closer to understanding the series of events leading to this meeting than he had been when he saw him at the door.
Flash almost wanted to just let him go. He wasn’t all that interested in Burnett’s business, and it was late enough that he was getting tired. The growing headache, too, was making him impatient. He wanted to fly off the handle and tell him off, but that was more out of frustration and disappointment than it was anything Ruka actually did.
It’s no wonder he’s avoiding you. You’re pathetic. If he said it out loud, he would get a spell cast on him for sure.
Still, the challenge was hard to just let go. If Flash was ready to drop things as soon as they got difficult, he was never going to be worth anything. Even if he didn’t have the information he needed to make Ruka dance for him, he couldn’t let him leave for nothing.
”Really? I’m supposed to just not tell him, am I? What about Professor Pendrast, then? I was willing to hear your side of the story, but this doesn’t look good.” Flash’s face was no longer smiling and inviting. ”Maybe you’re mad at Burnett. Maybe you wanted to get back at him. Breaking the rules, swearing me to silence… it doesn’t look good at all.”
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
12 Feb 2020, 07:05
You Saw Nothing
@Flash Holmwood
Ruka wasn’t sure what it was about Flash, but he felt slightly unsettled by the Slytherin’s presence, the fact that he’d pulled him into an empty storage room, the fact that he was still here, bothering with him in the first place when the Gryffindor was clearly out of his mind.
Spending so much time with Jack had made him excruciatingly aware that people rarely did something without an ulterior motive. Ruka knew all too well that Jack was collecting favours from people like it was currency, and for all he knew, Flash could very well be dabbling in the same business.
Scratching at a burn on his left hand, Ruka bit his lip as he contemplated what to do about this situation, how much to tell Flash in hopes of maybe getting some information on Jack, if the boy even had any at all to give.
However, before Ruka could either leave or talk, the Slytherin seemed to be switching friendly and attentive to something much more unsettling, and his words burned Ruka like the poison of those vipers he had talked about before.
Under normal circumstances, Ruka would have joined the challenge, would have questioned the evidence Flash had to offer, maybe thrown in a thinly veiled threat himself, but in his current state of mind, Flash’s words made his nerves tingle with the start of a panic like he had never experienced it before.
Not enough that this boy was going to be telling Jack about this embarrassing encounter, he was also going to rat him out to a teacher?
And how would he look to a teacher right now, dressed in mismatched clothes, clearly sleep deprived, so close to the Slytherin Commons, and so late at night?
No, this was definitely not looking good.
“No!” he said quickly, maybe a little too loudly, eyes searching Flash’s face for some hint of what he wanted to hear. “No, I’m not, I swear, I just wanted to talk!” He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and shit the last person he had cried in front of was Jack.
“I - Please. He attacked that girl because of me at the Valentine’s Party and then just vanished and I just...” He took a deep breath, shaking his head desperately. He wanted to cry and scream at Flash to take him into the Common Room, to let him talk to Jack, to let him get his picture back, but...
He wanted to ask Flash if he and Jack were friends, if maybe he could just tell Jack to meet Ruka somewhere, but he decided against it. He knew the Slytherin well enough to know he wasn’t going to listen to messages delivered through a mouthpiece.
Instead he turned to face Flash properly again, mouth pressed into a thin line to prevent any tears from escaping. He really tried to calmly assess the situation, but his thoughts were racing and he just didn’t know what to do.
Or, maybe the question was what he was willing to do?
“I just don’t want him to know I stooped to, well, this,” he said quietly, fixing his gaze at a picture of a feathered horse on the wall behind flash. “Please, I’ll do whatever you want, just... just don’t tell him I was here like this?”
No matter what Flash wanted from him to prove he didn’t deserve to be thrown under the bus like this, Ruka was sure it was going to be worth it.
His bond with Jack, and his dad’s picture, they were worth it.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
13 Feb 2020, 13:28
You Saw Nothing
Finally… Flash broke through to him, but somehow it still felt hollow. He hadn’t wanted Ruka’s obedience, he wanted to know what was going on. Still, he was able to concede that the situation was less than ideal, therefore little value could be earned from continuing the conversation as it was. The stinging, toxic scent on the air, the huddled dark room, and Ruka’s physical and mental health were all suboptimal. Flash took his victories where he could, at least he was able to accomplish something.
Flash could tell he wasn’t going to extract anything else. Ruka was beaten down, even before they met. He acted defeated, though his face was once again unreadable under the fedora. If Flash tried to push more, he wasn’t sure what would happen, but probably irreparable harm. Even if the situation between Ruka and Jack was unsolved, there was much Flash could learn from the experience. For one: it’s difficult to make someone agreeable to you if they’re tired and scared. He didn’t have to work in these conditions. Now that he had leverage he could fix that.
”Don’t act so put upon, I’m the one who's doing you a favor.” Flash moved to the door to put his hand on the doorknob, and if ready to set him free. ”Meet me tomorrow morning at the Great Hall entrance to the courtyard, at 6:30, alright? And for Merlin’s sake, get some sleep before then.”
Flash opened the door, and even the stagnant musk of the dungeons was a relief to the senses.
Flash could tell he wasn’t going to extract anything else. Ruka was beaten down, even before they met. He acted defeated, though his face was once again unreadable under the fedora. If Flash tried to push more, he wasn’t sure what would happen, but probably irreparable harm. Even if the situation between Ruka and Jack was unsolved, there was much Flash could learn from the experience. For one: it’s difficult to make someone agreeable to you if they’re tired and scared. He didn’t have to work in these conditions. Now that he had leverage he could fix that.
”Don’t act so put upon, I’m the one who's doing you a favor.” Flash moved to the door to put his hand on the doorknob, and if ready to set him free. ”Meet me tomorrow morning at the Great Hall entrance to the courtyard, at 6:30, alright? And for Merlin’s sake, get some sleep before then.”
Flash opened the door, and even the stagnant musk of the dungeons was a relief to the senses.
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
13 Feb 2020, 20:40
You Saw Nothing
@Flash Holmwood
Ruka wasn‘t sure exactly where he had expected this night to go, but it really wasn‘t this.
The stench of wet paint and old furniture was making his eyes water even more than they already had been to begin with, and Flash was making him feel so nervous.
The worst thing to him was that he didn‘t understand what the Slytherin boy wanted from him, and he had never experienced anything quite like that before; most of the people he had met at Hogwarts had simply been looking for someone like-minded, someone easy to talk to.
Ruka had never been in a situation where he had to be unsure of someone‘s intentions, where he couldn‘t figure out if someone‘s niceness was genuine or taunting.
Flash scared him, especially in his current state of mind where absolutely everything was terrifying and felt like it was out to get him.
And then the other boy moved towards the door as if he was simply done with this conversation, like he was getting bored of Ruka and had no use for him anymore.
The young fire dancer watched in confusion as Flash put a hand on the door handle before turning back to address the Gryffindor.
The request felt like it came out of nowhere, completely unexpected to Ruka, who just stared at Flash for a moment, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.
Was this a threat? Was he telling Ruka to come there if he wanted Flash to stay silent about their encounter tonight? Or was the Slytherin merely curious about Ruka‘s intentions? Was it an invitation or a demand?
God, he felt so tired all of a sudden.
„Sleep?“ he asked, dumbfounded. He wasn‘t sure he really understood what was going on anymore, but for a second there was a wave of relief flashing through him at the realisation that Flash wasn‘t going to lock him up and make him stay here all night.
Maybe... maybe he had misunderstood the situation? Maybe his sleep deprivation and desperation had led him to assess the whole ordeal completely wrongly?
Was there a chance, at all, that Flash only wanted to understand the situation to make sure Ruka wasn‘t out to cause Jack any harm, and he really had just brought him in here to avoid any teachers or prefects who could have possibly seen what Ruka had tried to do?
„I... okay,“ he said lamely, slowly moving towards the door as if to test whether Flash was going to shut it closed the second he reached it.
He didn‘t.
The door remained open and Ruka was free to go.
Maybe he had misjudged Flash.
„Six-Thirty,“ he repeated with a little nod, confirming that he was going to be there with a small, only barely forced smile. What harm could it do to just meet Flash and have a conversation that wasn‘t completely clouded by sleep deprivation and overwhelming emotions, right?
With one last look at Flash, Ruka slipped through the door, one hand on the fedora as he made his way swiftly through the corridors and back up to the Gryffindor Common Room.
He really hoped, as he walked briskly up the stairs, that he was‘t getting himself in the middle of a Viper‘s nest.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9