Closed A Strange Connection

[Snowdrop Chase]

Snowdrop had had it with being the bottom of the class. She knew that her interests in werewolves and their rights could only be furthered if she learned in her classes now. After all, how was she going to help creature's rights be furthered if she didn't have a quality education. So she decided that no matter what she'd buckle down this year. And No matter what meant despite her mood. She had a pretty typical little scowl on her face, but behind it was something more. Her eyes were watering still as she sat there and tried to concentrate. Occasionally she would look up from her book to blink back the wetness that threatened her cheeks, just enough to keep them from pouring down her face. This was supposed to be a distraction, not making her think about this more.

Then at some point she glanced up and her eyes were met with the sight of Cassius Styx. She buried herself in her book unsure if he'd noticed her or that she was crying. It was so easy for him to pick on her in this vulnerable state and she frankly wasn't in the mood.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Cassius Styx needed to find a couple of books to start reading up on for the upcoming classes. He wanted to ensure that he was going to stay on top of his studies, even signed up for Muggle Studies. He secretly wanted to learn more about it - in hope of finding more video games. He continued to look through the shelves when he looked at someone at the table, and saw Snowdrop Chase. He thought about just leaving her be, but he could have sworn that he saw something else. Tears. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't. His gut told him to go over to her. He made sure that he did not have anything in his hands, and walked over to the table to sit down next to her.

"Hey, what's up? I thought I saw tears," Cass clasped his hands together on the table, to keep himself from bringing the book down to expose her face. He was just getting over that crush of his, and being here with her was not helping at all. He had a weakness, and damn it, he was not liking this at all. But he had to listen to his gut too. This might have just been dust, and then he could get up and leave. Dust and allergies were a thing in the magical world, right?​

 

[Snowdrop Chase]

Snowdrop had willed in her mind that Cassius just go away. She didn't need any harassment from him, not now not ever. She figured they weren't even on speaking terms after the last time they had chatted, when she had just been trying to be helpful. Snow wasn't so lucky though, and he took a seat across from her. Behind her book she wiped her face clean of the evidence of emotion and then glared up at him. "I didn't think we were talking after I didn't fall for your little joke last year." She responded, trying to keep her tone even.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Cass should have known that she still would have tried to remain antagonistic toward him. Even saying that what he did was a joke. "I'm not the type to pull pranks on people, especially after my sister was killed. So, believe what you want or not." Cass did have other things to do than to just sit here and receive such things when he was wanting to see if there was something he could do to help. "I just wanted to see if there was something wrong considering that you were crying. But if you don't want to talk about it, I'm just going to get my books and leave you alone." Cass was not the type to push someone to try to comfort them. The next step was on her on whether or not he would stick around.​

 

[Snowdrop Chase]

Snow hear his explanation and despite her glare she blushed. Had she read him so wrong. “So you didn’t ask me to play some cruel joke on me?” She asked clearly taken aback. The stumbling over words didn’t last more than that sentence though. She looked away.

“now we have something in common I guess.” she said with a sigh, slouching slightly with her posture.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Cass shook his head, "I've been told I have a stick up my a** because I don't joke around. So no." Cass did not know why anyone would go through something humiliating just to make a prank. Well, maybe Terror would, but he would be doing the humiliating instead. But Cass was definitely not Terror. Her next words took him a minute to process. He got up from the chair to move it so that it was next to her instead. "What happened to your sister?" Cass knew it was not Melinoe, so it had to be a younger one not yet in school.​

 

[Snowdrop Chase]

Snowdrop looked at him as if she might not believe him, but then she softened slightly and looked away. She didn't have the energy to argue, and besides maybe Cassius was telling the truth. He didn't seem the type to lie about well anything, his annoyingly brash honesty was one of the things she disliked about him, she thought. "She had been sick for a long time." Snow said not looking at him. "We'd seen all the healers you could imagine. Melinoe is taking it really hard." She said pushing focus off herself. "So you really didn't ask me as some sort of joke?" She asked looking back up at him, her gaze less hostile. Almost curious.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Cass listened as Snow revealed that her sister had been sick for a while, and there was nothing that could be done. It was hard to decide who suffered the worst. An ill sister that was slowly declining over time, or a sudden, violent loss. Both must hurt in several ways. Was that why Snow wanted to be helpful? It would fill the void she would have had with her sister. But he would not fret with that. Melinoe was taking it hard, but he was sure his relative Loki was handling that. "No, it was not a joke. I really did have a crush on you." Had. Cass wondered if that was going to come back again, after he worked hard to shove that feeling to the side. He stood up, grabbed his chair, and moved it next to Snow. "You said Melinoe is taking it hard, and I know she's your sister, but I don't care how she is handling it. Loki is probably helping her. How are you handling it?" Cass paused and then added, "I know how hard it is. If anyone can understand, it is me."​

 

[Snowdrop Chase]

Snowdrop kept her head tilted down for the most part. “If I had known it wasn’t a joke I don’t think I would have been so… b****y to you. I’m sorry.” she admitted. Maybe if she had taken a second not to protect her own pride she and Cass could have been friends sooner. He moved his chair over to her and she looked briefly at him, then back at the table. “I’m okay.” She said dishonestly at first. “Sometimes I just want to cry but I know that would make my family worry. And they’ve got enough on their plates.” It felt good to be honest.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Great, that feeling that Cass had forced down to move on started to come back when she apologized. Was he really that weak and easily swayed? But she wasn't sure if her attitude would have changed anyway. He wouldn't want her to say yes if she did not like him though, but he was not going to talk more on that. He knew that tone. She was trying to say that she was okay, but obviously, she wasn't. She said that she wanted to cry, but she would make her family worry. He shifted so that he faced her. "Your family is not here. You are allowed to be weak for something like this. I don't know your family, so if you need to vent or whatever, I won't spill a word." Cass knew what it was like to try to be strong for family reasons. He grieved in other ways.​

 

[Snowdrop Chase]

Snow didn’t fully comprehend that he was being comforting. This was Cassius Styx. She’d watched him bully people needlessly in her opinion. Especially Gregory. But his nice words made her weak and she wiped at her face aggressively to clear the tears. She didn’t want people watching her cry. “Life is just so short and unpredictable… and I don’t know what I’m doing and I have to start deciding what I want to do and succeed in those classes all while I try and be happy.” she explained, another tear streaking her cheeks which were a bit red from the crying now.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Cass could understand how life was short and unpredictable. It most certainly was. His sister learned that the hard way - as did the rest of the family. Snow was trying to stop crying that he was tempted to just reach out to grab her wrists to stop from attacking her face like that. He scooted a bit closer and said, "You can use me as a shield to get it out. You might be able to think a bit clearer once you get it out. If you have to punch, just avoid the face." Cass could take it anywhere else, but he wanted his face to remain as flawless as it already was. That much was obvious. "If you have to cry, I'll be the rock to ground you."​

 

[Snowdrop Chase]

As Cassius scooted closer to her Snow looked at him, still a little suspicious of him. But as he spoke her gaze went soft, grey eyes trained on his own silver ones. Her lip trembled and her brow furrowed as she tried to hold herself together. But she couldn't. The tears escaped her eyes and she leaned to the side, burying her face in him. A silent sob erupted and shook her shoulders slightly. "If you tell anyone I was crying I'll hex you into next week." She threatened weakly.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Snow finally decided that enough was enough, and used his chest to hide her face as she cried. Cass was not used to comforting people, even in his family, but he was working on it. He gently hugged her and rubbed her back. That was what he saw his father do to his mother when they were burying their daughter. It was rough, but imitating them might help with Snow. She even threatened him which made him laugh softly, "I won't tell anyone that you cried, okay?" Cass would want the same treatment if it was him, but as long as she needed it, he would be here. He grieved himself. He did it on his own, but that was last year, and he had Dante and Daemyn, just to start off with. He didn't have to be strong for everyone. It seemed like Snow did.​

 

[Snowdrop Chase]

Snow was surprised to say the least that Cassius was so willing to comfort her. His soothing rubs on her back made her relax despite the fact that she continued to cry and sniffle. She continued for around five or so minutes before she had calmed down enough to pull away from him. Her face showed colors of shame for letting herself get so weak. "Uhm, thanks I guess I needed that." She said awkwardly. "I should probably, go clean my face up." Though she wasn't wearing makeup so her face wasn't dirty per se, she just needed to dispel the blotchiness with some water. "You know I'm glad we had this talk, maybe now we can stop competing over who is right." She joked, packing her stuff up. "I'll see you around, Cassius." She said before heading their separate ways.

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FIN

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