Closed A Little Late to the Party

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius lost track of time sometimes, but he still meant well. He'd noticed Dahlia seemed to be feeling under the weather and he'd gathered a few things, remembering how his sister had acted when she was upset. Armed with a blanket, a rice sock, pillows, and plenty of chocolate, he set up in the student lounge. He'd grabbed a stereo, playing some soft pop songs quietly and relaxing on the edge of the couch with a new book. He was flipping through it, having already sent a note to Dahlia, and he was just waiting for her to come down.

 

[Dahlia Doherty]

((what is muse? what is spare time?))

The year was really sucking, to put it bluntly. Dahlia's emotions were all over the place, not to mention everything going on at home making things feel much worse. She wasn't doing terribly well in classes, as magic just didn't seem to come to her easily. Every time she failed to perform a spell, she was struck by the thought that Zinnia should have been here instead - but Zinnia apparently had no magic. And that just made her feel worse, being so far away from her family and essentially cast out by virtue of some freak thing of genetics. Not that she was actually cast out, but she still felt like she didn't belong anymore. She felt relieved to hear from Valerius - that he'd even thought of her, considering he was probably so busy with classwork, and forced a smile when she saw him in the student lounge. It wasn't too hard to force, though. "Hey," she said, falling onto the couch with a sigh. "How are you?"

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius smiled, shifting as she sat down and offering up the blanket. "I'm good," He offered easily. "I've brought you a blanket, some chocolates," He shifted then, leaning against the arm of the couch with some pillows at his back, and opened up his arms for her. "We could cuddle, I'll read to you, you can just relax?" He offered. "I might be a bit slow, but I'm not stupid. I've seen your stressed."

 

[Dahlia Doherty]

Dahlia raised an eyebrow, unable to help the little flutter of her heart at his words. She knew she was probably just a kid to him, maybe like a cousin at best, but the fact that Valerius had cared enough to do something nice for her did make her feel quite pleased. She happily pulled the blanket around her, but hesitated before getting into his arms, not wanting to get or give the wrong idea. "Is it okay for you to be cuddling up to young girls, Mister CEO?" she teased, leaning against him casually. "You're not slow, you're busy and you don't have to keep an eye on me," she quickly added. "But thank you. It's..." Dahlia wasn't going to get in to the physical difficulties, only shaking her head. "Kinda silly, mostly. My sister didn't get a Hogwarts letter, so things at home are kiiiiinda icy right now."

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius chuckled. "I'm comforting a friend," He offered easily, rubbing at her back. He listened to her talk, smiling gently. "Well, I'll just be glad you're here, at least," He tried to encourage her. "There are some things we can't control... all we can do is make the best of what's given to us." He laughed lightly. "But that's enough unsolicited advice. How are you feeling?" He asked, fretting lightly.

 

[Dahlia Doherty]

Dahlia closed her eyes, offering a kind of weak smile. She didn't really want to appear like she wasn't capable of handling things, even if she had blown up at one of her best friends. And felt totally out of sorts and achy and miserable. She took a chocolate and shoved it into her mouth, sighing in relief as she did. Chocolate had to have some kind of magical properties, she swore. She tried not to eat too much - bad for the skin and teeth and her waist - but sometimes it was exactly what you needed. "Like, if I could, I'd swap with her, I'd go back to a normal school and she could come here, and we'd both be a lot happier." She'd miss people like Valerius, but it was honestly how she felt. "It's not my fault," she added, in almost a pout. In this case, though, it really wasn't. "Mum always says it is what it is, though, just gotta get back up on the horse and stuff. But are you doing okay?"

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius played with her hair gently, letting her talk and just listening. "I'm doing alright," He promised her gently. "Let's try and forget your troubles, hm?" He offered gently. "Why don't you tell me about the good things in your life right now?" He asked her, tucking the blanket in a bit more. "It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the negative. Let's try to think of the good things," He brushed her hair back. "Anything, really. Maybe you had something especially yummy for lunch or you saw something pretty."

 

[Dahlia Doherty]

Dahlia pulled a leg up to her chest, wrapping an arm around it and giving Valerius a look, raising an eyebrow. "You sound like my mum," she teased, though her teasing was entirely friendly. "The food here's still really good, and I get to play Quidditch for the Gryffindor Renegades." They weren't really a team and that probably wasn't even the team name they would have but she was quite fond of it. At least it was some sporting practice. "But what's good with you? I hope there's heaps of good stuff going on and you'll light up both our lives with it!"

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius listened to Dahlia easily, idly playing with a bit of her hair. "The Gryffindor Renegades?" He asked, smiling softly. At her question, he chuckled softly. "I'm just busy with my lessons, learning Japanese while keeping on top of my Russian." He replied, before reaching for the hot cocoa he'd had on the table. A little spell warmed it back up and he offered it to Dahlia. "Here, this should help."