A Little Read

[Henric Lee]

Henric sat crosslegged on a corner of Obsidian Harbour, right next to a nice, dark alleyway. He glanced up, breathing in the air of Late Spring. The whole place was a buzz of activity, no one needed to be told that. Children ran around, huge fluffy pink cotton candy grasped tightly in their hands, continually their mouth became more and more pink and fluffy from their treat as they ran around. Anxious women dabbed beads of sweat off their heads, frantically calling out names of children and attempting to find their charges in the crowd. Men stumbled about, holding mugs of beer or liquor, yelling out embarrasing facts best kept at home.

Slowly, he let his false smile fade as he looked around. Everyone was ... free.

That was a priveledge robbed of him from birth ... and sometimes, he feared he was getting used to it. Raising the book to his eye level to erase his thoughts, Henric focused on reading 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection', it was like the principle of the Taoist Magic practiced by the Chinese Ministry, Yin and Yang, Dark and Light, Good and Evil, that was how everything revolved around each other. And in the middle of that, there would tbe a force that was neutral, a force that might have manipulated everything. He clenched his fist, released it, and begun reading, muttering wordlessly as he scanned the contents.

 

[Amarante Ming]

Amarante walked along the busy streets of Obsidian Harbor. Her intoxicating, but misplaced blue eyes glancing at every person that passed her and the look on there faces, they had the freedom to emotions, she did now as well, it made her feel, well she didn't know what or how to feel for that matter, so she put up her normal smile of wax as she walked along.

As she walked she spotted a boy sitting crosslegged with a similar expression of her own and she just looked at him curiously, she didn't say anything and her actions were hidden by the hood of her black sweater so it looked as if she was looking just past the boy, she wondered if he could have something in common with her own past. Then she narrowed her eyes on the book he was reading and a natural smirk formed on her thin lips, she had read that last year.

 

[Henric Lee]

Unwavering, Henric's voice echoed out suddenly, as if he had read her mind. " - I know, it's quite a silly title isn't it?", he raised his head and tilted it politely, nodidng at her. Then smiled quietly; a smile that looked like it was dipped in venom and fished out again. His brows curled and pointed downwards again, as he continued reading the contents. Then he paused, and clapped the book shut, raising his head to look at her, his piercing dark eyes appeared to bore into her own.

"How rude of me." He began softly, extending a pale hand docked out with a mongolian winter jacket that cloaked his body in a sea of sapphire blue. "My name is Henric; who might you be, miss?"

 

[Shinta Tantono]

Shinta had been hanging from a tree and gazing out over the beautiful grounds when her silent thoughts and peaceful half-doze was interrupted by a boy . She continued getting closer, and she thought he seemed distracted, perhaps a little upset about something. Maybe she was wrong. Shinta didn't recognize him, which she thought she should have, since he probably was a First Year. She was hoping she'd go away, because no matter how she did it, she was going to catch her off-guard. She hated scaring people. That was so not cool.

Now ahe was concerned for him. She was a Tantono, after all. She decided to drop a few branches around him in warning before she made a noise. Maybe if he was on guard when she jumped down she wouldn't scare him as much. Maybe he'd just get mad and think he was purposefully eavesdropping. She'd prefer that to scarring him. She then watched as another girl talked to him.

"Hey," she said.

 

[Henric Lee]

Henric blinked indifferently, turning to look at Shinta as if he knew he was there all along. Although his words were completely different from his actions. "Oh. Didn't know you there." He said simply, turning his head to look at the both of them - bookreading would have to wait. Placing the book down with his other hand, he brushed back the fringe with had come cascading down on his forehead when he bowed his head to read. Nodding at Shinta, he extended his other hand to her as well. "Forgive me for not noticing you earlier, my name is Henric..."

Softly, he added, "... And... what might the both of your names be...?", Unwavering, his eyes flickered over the both of them.

 

[Shinta Tantono]

Shinta jumped down from the tree and smiled at Henric. "Apology accepted Henric, and i'm Shinta Tantono, its nice to meet you Henric," she muttered shyly. She was a typical Indonesian girl, too shy to speak to anyone. She shook his hand. She the turned to other girl. "I think we have met once, but i seem to have forgotten your name, I'm Shinta," she said politely. "So, where are both of you from? I am from Bandung, Indonesia" she said in a whole breath, before turning pink. She probably said too much.

 

[Henric Lee]

Henric blinked, his eyes suddenly grew hostile, then as he replaced his expression with one of fake features, he slowly said, "... China, Guilin Lake." Home, he noted mentally, why would anyone miss home? Still, Henric lowered his hand and placed it on his lap. "Indonesia ... " He muttered, albeit dreamily, noting his geography told him it was part of the Lower Asian Regions.

He nodded at her and turned to Amarante, watching her features. Shinta was simple enough, but Amarante seemed more concealed.

Colder.

 

[Amarante Ming]

Amarante looked up at the boy when he spoke and said, "I've read it last year, do you...like it?" Amarante was curious if this boy had an opinion, not just on the writing but on the book as a whole. She didn't, she never could have an honest opinion with out being punished for it. Amarante simply bowed her head in return to his.

When he began to speak again her lips formed into a false smile and said, "Amarante Ming, pleasure." The last word she uttered sounded like it was dripping with coolness, it was very in tune with the house she had been sorted into.

When a girl spoke Amarante's gaze tore from Henric's and she glanced up at the girl in the tree. And she said, "Tai Pei is where I'm originally from." Amarante's fake smile faltered and she went straight faced once more as the boy looked at her, her blue eyes on him black ones she felt like he was going through her soul, it was an interesting feeling to have, but she didn't like it, or she didn't think she liked it so she gave him the same intoxicating look and she found exactly what he found in her, a strong facade.

[Sorry I couldn't post...New Years and the sort]

 

[Henric Lee]

His intense focus boring into hers, Henric appeared deep in concentration. Then he suddenly smiled at the facade, and looked away, as if he had found what he was looking for. Turning away from Shinta so she couldn't see, he let his regular, icy features take over as he stared - almost glared - at her, with a little, genuine smirk on his lips. He pointed to where his heart was, then at hers, mouthing, 'We are one and the same'. Then, turning to Shinta, he smiled at her, expression of wax taking over again. "Looks like we come from all parts of the world."

Henric allowed himself to let his eyes waver over to Amarante, "I don't know. I've always read to learn, I can't tell you if I liked it or not. Still, I've met your sister before - you two are... different, to say the least."


(( Tis k, everyone's busy around this time. ))

 

[Amarante Ming]

Amarante simply bowed her head at what Henric had mouthed, she had expected this, she could already tell that they were the same in this sense but was surprised by his genuine smirk, she had never really had a genuine anything. She however didn't show her surprise or curiosity in the boy. She just said, "My sister, she is the black sheep among black sheeps. She doesn't know that we shouldn't show our true feelings and emotions, but that is beside the point." Amarante paused slightly letting her gaze go over to Shinta then back to Henric and said simply, and it was obvious she was now speaking about the book in his hands, "I didn't think so."

 

[Henric Lee]

"Of course." Henric replied smoothly, as if he anticipated her answer. "Your sister's the complete opposite, speaking truthfully, if I compare her to you. Of course, I do not have that right." Unblinking, his eyes moved over her own blank orbs, scanning them thoroughly, watching her expression and features. Looking as though he gleaned what he needed to, he turned his attention to them as an overall instead of focusing on Amarante. "What house are you two in then? I'm in Slytherin."

The quesiton was obvious, to Amarate, but he still needed to know Shinta's. He had been taking information and mental notes on every single one of the student's he had come in contact with so far.

 

[Amarante Ming]

Amarante knew this to be a fact but when Tasanee did put up her facade you wouldn't be able to tell a difference between the two girls. A smirk formed on her small lips when the boy was obviously speaking to her and not to Shinta, and she said, "One and the same." Amarante looked down at the seat quickly then back at Henric, the change in glance would have only been visible to him because he seemed to be fixated by her. As the sun hit her hood she found it getting quite warm so she delicately raised her dainty fingers to the soft, cotton material and placed her hood down showing her whole face, and unfortunately a wind picked up showing her scar on the side of her cheek that was usually covered with her soft black hair. She assumed that Henric would be curious about it but wouldn't say anything, unless she brought it up which she wouldn't do, the fact that she had been slit with a broken piece of glass wasn't important at all.

 

[Henric Lee]

"I see, I'm fortunate to be able to meet up with Slytherins." Henric's sharp eyes caught sight of her scar, wordlessly, he studied it briefly, before turning to say to Shinta, "I think you were sorted into Slytherin, as well? I heard your name briefly at the Sorting." Without revealing a thing, Henric raised his right arm purposely in front of Amarante, right in the direction of the sun. A previously hidden interconnecting set of etched tattoos spread out across his arm and disappeared into the robes that hid his body, star signs, constellations, a sprawling dragon, while fascinating to some, it slowly became frightening if you saw the whole pattern. Without giving away anything, he lowered his arm again, and the faint tattoos once again disappeared from view.

 

[Amarante Ming]

When Henric raised his arm it was apparent that he had wanted to show her the tattoos on his arm and she gave him her normal smile of wax and when his arm was lowered she scratched her head delicately and the large sleeve of her black sweater slid down her forearm showing a tattoo of a dragon, much like his but it was on a smaller scale and it had different colours. She then lowered her arm in one smooth movement when she had thought Henric had seen it and the sleeve of her sweeter lowered as well.

 

[Shinta Tantono]

Shinta listened to Amarante's and Henric's conversation. She didn't want to interfere, and this stood silent as a statue in the middle of both of them. She listened to what both of them were saying, as her eyes looked at the beautiful scenery. She was about to excuse herself since she was already lost in their conversation until she heard Henric's remark.

"Yes, i'm a Slytherin," she answered not smiling at ther two. She had better things to think about, and houses just wasn't part of it.