Open To the Village

Freddie finished his crepes, setting the fork on the plate. His stomach felt weird, for some reason - like he'd eaten ten times as much as he really had. Syrah was being so nice to him, buying him food, asking him questions, and he wasn't even really friends with any of her kids. He was like... one of those birds. Cuckoos. Was that right? He couldn't remember. All he knew was, he didn't belong here.

He looked at her again, his stomach getting heavier. Almost imperceptibly, he nodded. He didn't know why he nodded, but he did. And then he grabbed a napkin to wipe his hands, smiling at something funny Rouge had said to Blanc. "Okay, we should go," he said to Rose, carefully standing up. He leaned his weight on his leg, making sure he wasn't about to limp when he started walking. It was fine. "Thanks for the crepes, and stuff." 'Stuff' could mean a lot of things, which was good, because Freddie wasn't sure what he was thanking Syrah for. Now he just had to figure out if Rose really wanted to hang out with him. It was probably just an excuse to leave. He could go along with that.
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Giving a smile to Rosé Syrah couldn't help but feel like something was inherently wrong. Rosé had been so quiet and then she'd ran into the bathroom and came out looking like someone broke her world. A part of her, the mum that had always done everything she could to make sure each of her children knew and felt how loved they were and had everything they needed, ached with the need to have a conversation with her. See what was pressing on her mind so hard, but right now she could tell she needed to let her go on her own for a bit. perhaps get a breath of fresh air. She'd try to get a moment to talk to her soon though.

Turning to Freddie who was preparing to leave, having noticed the few times he'd glanced her way with eyes filled with too many emotions to pinpoint what he was feeling exactly, the brunette gave a soft smile and a nod. "Of course, no need to thank me you are always welcome around Freddie." Looking at Rosé now though she gave one more smile to her. "Alright you two should go if you have a meeting to catch with Lilith?" She said giving them the opening to leave, hoping that the other two would let them go without too much of a fuss.
 
It occured to Rose as she sheepishly rose from her chair that if they were meeting Lilith, then Lilith was still sat behind them in the cafe. Well, she'd just have to hope mama didn't ask too many questions. Rose abandoned the rest of her cheesecake, giving mama a small peck on her cheek, "I'll be back in an hour'" she told her, walking quickly to catch up with Freddie who was being very polite to his host. She'd expected nothing less.

Once they were back outside, Rose felt the chill om her shirt, the wet patch cold against her skin. She just had to hope it dried before Freddie noticed it. She tugged her cardigan a little closer, feeling awkward now that there was no one else around to distract from the fact it was now just him and her. Her and him. What on earth was she meant to say? She hadn't even been sure Freddie was lying about meeting a friend to get out of there. "We should move away from the window," Rose mentioned, hoping mama wasnt poking her head outside to watch them walking down the street.
 
Always welcome? Yeah, maybe. Freddie knew that was a lie - but it was nice to feel, for a second, like he was a good sort of kid, the sort of kid people's parents invited round to play. He was just tricking them, though. It was all fake. And they fell for it - ha ha. He was mean and rude and bad and they had no idea, they didn't have a clue, not even Syrah. She was actually the dumbest. She thought he was soooo nice. Idiot.

That's not fair, he thought as he followed Rose outside. She just bought you crepes. Yeah, but he didn't want them. He didn't want anything, not from anyone, and he didn't have to be nice to someone just because they'd bought him something.

See? He was horrible.

"Oh, yeah." he said. He crossed in front of Rose, shoving his hands in his pockets. He should just turn around. If Syrah knew how mean he was, she wouldn't even want Rose to hang out with him. The thought hit him in his already-aching stomach. Why was she hanging out with him, anyway? Freddie didn't get it. She must have liked him, because she gave him an egg in Herbology, but she sometimes looked upset when she saw him. Maybe he forgot to say thanks. Kinda too late now. "Where are we going?"​
 
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As Freddie walked out in front of her, Rose was half tempted to stop walking just to see if he'd notice. No, that wouldn't be kind. She wasn't here to test him. She just wanted to be his friend. Well, she wanted to be his friend but understandably he wouldn't have wanted to be hers. It was just her goal to help him because she believed that he was worthy of it. It didn't matter if he didn't want to hang out with her, or get to know her interests, because frankly she wasn't expecting anything from him at all. As long as she could make his life a little easier here and there, what else did she need?

Rose hadn't expected Freddie to ask her where they were going, "Aren't you meeting your friend?" She wasn't going to push for details, or even for an admission that it hadn't been the truth, she didn't want to embarrass him. Of course he was aware that meeting Lilith had been a lie, but he'd still gone along with it because he knew it would mean he could leave the cafe. Regardless of whether he truly had someone else he was supposed to be meeting up with, Rose had concluded he'd definitely wanted to leave. The first year had practically handed him the white flag, and she didn't expect him to put it down on her account.
 
Crap. Freddie forgot about the friend. "Yeah, later. We can hang out first," he said. He didn't add 'if you want to', because then Rose might say she didn't, and he did kind of want to hang out with her. Even if he wasn't nice and she probably should ditch him. Suddenly remembering why he'd wanted to say hi, he smirked. "Blanc said Rouge locked you in a shed. Dang." He would tell her about the chicken coop, maybe, in a minute. She'd probably laugh at him though. Freddie fidgeted with the guitar pick in his pocket as he walked. "She talks a lot."
 
Rose felt as though her head was about to fall off, when Freddie told her they could hang out first. There was no way, except, here he was, with her on purpose. Maybe the friend had been a lie, but only because he wanted to talk to her on her own. It didn't make any sense though, Freddie hadn't even noticed when she'd come back from the bathroom. She didn't want to allow herself to get ahead or assume things. She had to wait until she had more information, although she couldn't deny the blush that was across her cheeks, nose and chin.

Freddie's announcement of Blanc's update did little to cool her face. "I..what," How much had he told him? Had he mentioned the part when she'd had to change her clothes and take a bath once she was free, because no one would have come near her otherwise? "It was an accident, she didn't mean to," That's what mama said, although Rose just didn't want Freddie to think her sister had done it on purpose. The first years blue eyes glanced up to the boy when he mentioned Rouge talked a lot. Got it. She wouldn't talk so much around him that it annoyed him then, not if he didn't like it, "Yeah."
 
Rose looked uncomfortable again. Oh - maybe she thought Freddie was laughing at her. But he could fix this. "My story's worse. Susie - my sister - locked me in our chicken coop," he said. "This is so gross, sorry. I was wearing shorts, 'cause it was summer - and I accidentally sat on an egg. Just exploded everywhere. There was egg slime running all down my bare leg and into my sock." Freddie made a retching noise. "So at least you didn't have that."

Merlin, why was he telling her any of this stuff? It was embarrassing. He stopped walking suddenly. "Am I gonna puke?" he said. He hadn't got sick in so long, he couldn't remember what it felt like. But then the feeling passed. Maybe he was just nervous. Rose was making him nervous, for some reason. He wanted her to think he was cool. He wasn't doing great. "No, I'm good. Sorry. Do you wanna go in the park? We can push those people off the swings."​
 
Rose actually let out an embarrassing snort at the prospect of Freddie sitting on an egg. "Were you trying to lay it yourself?" she joked, the mental image of the boy with yolk running down his leg was enough for her to feel better about her own situation. She appreciated that he was trying to make her feel better, and more so that they had something in common. It occurred to her too that they both had a sister, they had that in common too! "Is Susie in Gryffindor too?" she asked Freddie, wondering how many traits Susie shared with Rouge.

Rose suddenly stopped walking the moment Freddie did, her eyes widening in alarm as Freddie debated whether or not he was well. "Was it the crepes?" She'd make a mental note that he probably shouldn't go for a walk so soon after eating food. Before she could find out if he was actually okay, the Ravenclaw was on the move again and Rose hurried to keep up. She wasn't one to push anyone out of anywhere, but perhaps if she had Freddie around, it would be fun to see what type of person he was, and perhaps if she was lucky, she could learn how to be a little more confident and perhaps even, a little more fun. "I like the swings," the blonde nodded. Before coming to Hogwarts she'd hoped the school would have swings in the garden but so far she'd been sorely disappointed.
 
Freddie laughed, a bit louder than he meant to. It was just so stupid, the idea of him laying an egg - he didn't expect Rose to say something like that. "You're funny," he said. "Boys can't lay eggs. Boy chickens. Did you know that? Only girl chickens can." So if Rose were a chicken, she could lay an egg, but Freddie couldn't. He didn't add that part.

"Yeah - ate them too fast," he said, holding the park gate open for her. It was probably just gas. Ugh, he hoped he wouldn't burp in front of her. Or would she think that was cool? No, probably not. "Susie's in Hufflepuff. Some of the Gryffindors are really mean. I don't like Ares, or Chase. Do you?" Maybe she hadn't really spoken to them. Lucky.

Freddie headed for the swings, where a couple of younger boys were already playing. "Hey, move - our turn," he said. You had to make it sound a bit like an order. It didn't always work, and honestly, he didn't like talking to people like that, unless they were really pissing him off, but he had a girl with him, so he had to fake it a bit. Luckily, the kids jumped off and ran away. Freddie caught the chain, steadying it for Rose. "There you go."​
 
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Merlin, if Freddie only knew the power of the words he had on Rose. One day her cheeks would cool down but today was not that day. Today as it happened, was turning into one of her favourites at the sound of his laughter. She did know that only girl chickens could lay eggs, but for the sake of the joke she was happy to play along, "Oh. You're smart," If Freddie was happy to compliment her, well she'd compliment him, too.

Rose hoped Freddie wasn't in too much pain from eating the crepes too fast, or that it would pass quickly. She hadn't met anyone in Hufflepuff yet really, although hearing that Freddie had already made a few enemies by the sounds of it, she looked up at her new friend. "What did they do?" It would be good, she thought, to be prepared for the type of people she could meet. Blanc and Rouge weren't mean of course, but she had no reason not to trust that Freddie meant it when he told her that Ares and Chase were and she had no intention of going near them.

As the boys vacated the swings, Rose gave them an apologetic smile, but she was still quick to take the chain from Freddie. He really was the kindest. "Thank you," she slid into one of the seats, suddenly feeling like things had become quite intimate now that they were both going to be swinging together. "This is nice," it was peaceful, even.
 
Smart? Rose thought Freddie was smart? He didn't normally like that word, but it was OK, coming from her. He did know quite a lot about animals. Maybe he could tell her some more facts, if she liked them. He sat on the swing beside her, leaning back a little, hanging on the chains. "I dunno," he said. It was hard to explain what Ares and Chase had done. They just got on his nerves. Especially Ares. Freddie couldn't go anywhere without feeling like Ares was following him. But he didn't really want to go into that. "Stay away from Ares, though. Just trust me." That was all he'd say. At least he'd warned her, then.

This was nice. Freddie felt... normal. Nearly normal. The side of his leg was tingling a lot, but he ignored it for now. He was tired of not getting to do normal stuff, like swinging, like playing in the park, like hanging out with friends. This was nice and his leg wasn't going to ruin it. "Do you really like Chasing Strangers?" he asked suddenly. He'd asked her that before, on the train, and she'd said yes, but he still didn't believe it. He just couldn't imagine her listening to death metal. ​
 
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Rose wasn't sure what to think when Freddie warned her to stay away from Ares. She did trust him, of course she did, she wouldn't be going anywhere near the boy, but it still would have been nice to know why. Perhaps for her sibling's benefit. Yes, that was what she could disguise it as, rather than her own curiosity. "Rouge and Blanc are both in Gryffindor," she remembered Freddie didn't like it if she spoke too much, so she tried to keep her question simple. "Are they safe from him?" She could only hope it would be enough for Freddie to expand on his tale.

Just when Rose thought it was alright to relax, that she would be fine here with Freddie and the two of them would have a pleasant conversation, he went and asked her about Chasing Strangers. Her cheeks turned crimson once more, and she felt as though Freddie was looking straight through her. How she could be honest without giving away her previous lie? Would he hate her if she didn't like the band? Their whole friendship was based on it, of course he would. "Yeah, I like them," she wasn't going to deny it if it meant Freddie would leave her. "I listen to a lot of things though, so, it's probably like, a really small percentage of time that I actually spend listening to them." Hopefully that would suffice.
 
Good question. Was Ares mean to everyone, or just Freddie? He kind of hoped it was everyone, because otherwise there must be something wrong with him. At the same time, he hoped Ares left Blanc and Rouge alone. "If he messes with them, come tell me," Freddie said at last, hanging back on the chains. "I think he tried to upset Blanc today. But I gave him some crap. He should go away now." That was optimistic, but Freddie would fight Ares again if he had to. Especially for Rose. She couldn't hit Ares, she was a girl, but Freddie could.

He glanced around. Sometimes, he swore he could hear Ares laughing at him, even when he wasn't there. He tried to think about Chasing Strangers instead. Honestly, he didn't care if Rose liked them or not. He didn't care. You could be cool and not like death metal. But she did, apparently. "Cool," he said. "What other stuff do you like?"​
 
Hearing that Blanc had had a run in with Ares earlier in the day, Rose's eyes widened in alarm. But Freddie, he'd been there and protected him. Freddie had protected her brother? She wasn't sure if she could like him anymore that she already did, but he just went up even further in her estimation. She gave him half a smile at his confidence, the way he said crap as though it was nothing, and the promise that if she were to come to him, he'd look out for them all. He was everything Rose could ever want in a friend. Did this mean Freddie wanted to be her friend too? It was hard to believe, but given the evidence at hand, it was hard to deny it, too.

"..Thank you," it took her a moment to remember to reply to him. Luckily he didn't seem to linger on Chasing Strangers for too long. "Erm, well, Peachy Keen are some of my favourites, too." she said somewhat shyly, the contrast of the girl group quite a turn from death metal, but she was doing her best to be honest. "So are Starlight Sirens. Mama took me to see them last year, it was fun." It had been the first time she'd done something without her siblings tagging along too, although Rose wasn't sure if she loved the night so much because she saw the artist or because it was a fun night with mama. It occurred to her that perhaps Freddie meant her hobbies, rather than the other music she liked, although she wasn't feeling too confident talk for so long about herself. "What do you do asides from listening to music?" she asked, clinging onto the chains and letting her legs dangle and she peered toward him.
 
Freddie hadn't expected himself to be the person sticking up for people, but he didn't mind it. The way Rose thanked him like that - it felt nice. Like he did something right, even though shoving people wasn't really right.

Peachy Keen. Of course. Freddie grinned, not because he thought Rose was dumb, but because it was so her. She probably listened to way more Peachy Keen than Chasing Strangers. He could tell, because she was shy about it. "Yeah - I knew it," he said. "You like pop. I bet you like LoLa, too. Didn't she do a song with Starlight Sirens? Doesn't it go, like - 'do-do-DO-dooo'?" Freddie laughed, leaning back a bit further, looking up at the sky. He was so happy, just being here, just talking to Rose in the park, swinging a bit - he wished he could come back every weekend. "I play guitar," he said. "If I don't have class, or homework, I just play. What about you?"​
 
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Rose smiled properly for the first time as Freddie told her she liked pop. She wasn't going to deny it. It just felt nice that he wasn't judging her for it. A small chuckle escaped her too when he started singing, although not because the singing was funny so much as she was feeling at ease. Freddie was good at making people feel that. It was like he had a comfort magnet around him. "Yeah, LoLa is good, but I think some of her songs can be a bit slow on their own." She liked things that had a bit of a beat to them, and while peaceful, most of LoLa's songs felt like you were walking on air unless she was collaborating. She watched as Freddie looked up at the sky, admiring just how carefree he seemed to be. It must have been nice. "Woah," she didn't know anyone that played a real instrument before, "how long have you been playing?" He was probably really good. Maybe that was why he kept asking the questions about music, that seemed to be his thing. "I er," Rose was hesitant to say she liked making mud pies or potions in the backyard with her siblings, although at least that wasn't the extent of her hobbies. "If I'm on my own, I like to skate," she said, glancing away and imagining the blades on her feet right now, giving her a little boost while sat on the swing. "If I'm with Blanc or Rouge, we like to make houses. There's a lot you can do if you don't mind moving some furniture around, and you have some spare cardboard and blankets."
 
"Yeah," Freddie agreed, sitting up a bit. He didn't listen to pop much, but Susie did, and she always put it up really loud, so everyone in the house had to listen to it too. Starlight Sirens weren't that bad. They were better than LoLa.

Freddie thought about Rose's question for a second. "Six years? I played since I was five. I played a lot before I came here, but the school just have - has, acoustic guitars, not electric ones. I don't like them as much. Now I just play for like an hour most days. Sometimes two hours." He glanced at her, wondering if she was still listening. Most people kind of zoned out when he talked about guitar. He was quiet after that, just watching her talk, smiling a bit. "Like skateboarding?" he asked. That was awesome. That was so cool. He didn't want to interrupt, but he had so many questions, he almost couldn't help it. "You made a whole house out of boxes? Like real-size? You did not."​
 
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