A Test Subject

[Raven Mauven]

Raven traveled down the sidewalk of Brightstone. She traveled from time to time, and ever since her mother's death, Raven had been what you call quiet. She had not discussed the death of her mother to anyone, not even her own family. It was just too much to bare. It had been almost a year now, but Raven missed Liyla terribly. Raven only let her mother know that she was a painter. Now that she was gone, Raven almost lost her will to paint. But the spark returned when she remembered her mother's wish. 'Keep on going, no matter what' that was her mother's words. Raven carried a few canvas, an easel that expanded when she would set it up, and a bag full of paints and colors. Raven enjoyed the colors that this place had. It was a lot brighter than Bulgaria and where she lived.

She asked her sister to bring her, and now that Raven was alone, and found the perfect spot to paint. Raven set up the easel and the canvas. She pulled half of her hair back and pinned it up. She had all of her things ready and she started to paint the background of the street. The grass tickled her toes, as she was wearing pink flipflips. The green eyes that were as bright and cold as ever, watched the strokes as she began with the buildings. She was good at doing this, but what she needed to work on was people. Never had she painted a person before. A tiny stroke of red from the bricks of the painting added to the depth. Raven smiled which made her appear nicer than she usually was. Raven sigh a bit, and she was almost finished with fifteen minutes of painting. Buildings and the sky looked superb.

 

[Luciano Lurken]

Spring was in the air. The trees were beginning to blossom, and couples were beginning to swarm the streets of Brightstone. Luciano hated it. Everything was so happy and cheerful. He much prefered winter, where he could wander alone, without having to dodge little children every five seconds. He walked, hands in his pockets, through the side streets until he reached a seemingly deserted spot. It seemed to be a bad part of the town. He leaned against the wall of shop that seemed as if it hadn't been inhabited for several years. The window was shattered, and sign hung lopsided on it's stand.

Lopsided and broken. Those were the words that Luciano would used to describe his life. He wasn't even sure why anymore. Was it his father? If it was, then why was he even more of a mess than he was he left England? Maybe it was just him. Maybe he was just that sort of person. If so, why was he here? What was to stop him from just disapearing. He wouldn't be missed, that was for sure. Abbey's face then entered his mind. She was the one who had kept him sane the past two years, just the thought of her. He pushed the thoughts from his head, as he slid down the side of the wall, seating himself on the ground. Shards of glass were scattered around him, remnants from some crime. He picked a sharp piece up, fingering the edges. The thought had entered his mind before. After a moments contemplation, he dropped it, leaning his head back againts the wall, not noticing the girl across the road.

 

[Raven Mauven]

Raven finally finished her picture, and when she removed the wet canvas from the easel, and she set it on the grass. Her green eyes glanced over to see a new subject in the background. Why had she not noticed him before? Raven saw that he seemed a little...sad. Raven didn't really like seeing people mope around like they had the worst lives in the world. Raven set her paints to the side, and she ran across the street to the young boy. He looked like her dad killed his mom or something. Raven bent down, properly, and she thought against touching the boy. Her mom always said don't touch strangers as they could be mudwallowers. Raven thought of what she could saw. Her green eyes saw the broken glass, and she was careful not to cut her toes or any other body part with the glass.

Raven cleared her throat, and she smiled glamorously, a cunning yet beautiful smile to get what she wanted, "Hey, boy, I need a favor from you, but I need you to cheer up just for a minute." What she was wanting to do was use him as a subject for her next painting. His face alone would make a masterpiece of sadness, but she didn't want something this sad. No sir, she wanted something else. Something a bit brighter. She had never painted a human before, but this would help a lot. Raven just wondered if the boy would help her. Maybe if she explained herself. Well, she would explain herself when or if he would accept the favor from her. She looked like an angel, why would be object? It isn't like she could hurt him. Not magically. This boy seemed older than her. If it weren't for her childlike cheeks, she would appear older because of how tall she was. If your dad was over seven feet tall, what do you expect from his offspring?

 

[Luciano Lurken]

Luciano's eyes had momentarily closed, but shot open when he heard somebody speak. And not just anybody. The girl standing in front of him was undeniably pretty. He stayed completely still however, not letting this show on hi face, which stayed blank "Can you not tell that I am utterly cheerful?" he said, his English accent clear in every syllable. Luciano was of course being sarcastic, however his tone was cold. He really didn't care for girls who wanted attention. Even if there were certain things about her that draw his eye...

Luciano flicked his eyes back up to her face, which was round, and gave him the impression that she was younger than him. He was not sure what she wanted with him, but whatever is was, he didn't feel as if he had the patience for it. He didn't like games. After that thought, Luciano was suddenly hit by a fear. His actions and his thoughts were reminding him strongly of the person he despised most. His father. As a child, he had always been told I have no time for your little games, when he had asked his father to play with him. Did this make him any better than his father? Luciano stood up suddenly "What do you want?" he asked the girl directly, his tone no longer as rude. It was more expectant.

 

[Raven Mauven]

Raven rolled her bright green eyes that were rather unreal looking when he seemed a little sarcastic. She allowed her Bulgarian accent to flow through her words as she retorted, "Aren't you a sarcastic one. Well, it's okay, I've heard a lot worse." Her own voice was countered with the ice that her family dwelt and passed down to her. Raven was used to sayings like that, her family did it all the time. She was so blunt, that often, people just didn't like being around her, and that was okay. Raven needed to learn to control that tongue though. Raven was learning now though. She was tempted to say that if he was depressed, he should take it to someplace where it was needed, like Saint Mungo's. Wasn't there a section in there for people with that sort of problem?

The pure-blood girl stood up on her feet, her full height of close to six feet. She was just a fraction taller than he. "Well, I am practicing my skills as a painter. I was curious if you would like to be a test subject for me. I need to practice painting people." Raven brushed some of her long hair behind her ear. Raven thought for a moment, and shifted her position in her pink sandals. "By the way, I'm Raven if you care to know." Raven wondered if he would reject her favor. It wasn't anything big, but it wouldn't take long at all either. This might be a new experience for her. Possibly meeting someone in that Hogwarts school other than her brother Azerail and painting people.

 

[Luciano Lurken]

Luciano was rather surprised, and strangely pleased when she handled his sarcasm well. He found it easy to get along with such people. Though he wasn't exactly a humorous person, he liked to banter like this "I don't consider myself to be" he said, his face and tone still carefully blank. He wondered what kind of family she had, if she'd heard worse. He knew that he wasn't mean or anything, well not at the moment. It sounded like he might get along with this girl.

Luciano was quite surprised at the height of the girl, when she too stood up. She was a little over his height of 5 foot ten, and had a very statuesque figure. Luciano ignored this purposefully, keeping silent. He knew that girls could be very touchy about their appearance, and though he didn't care about hurting her feelings, he wasn't in the mood for conflict. At her words, Luciano's eyes moved across the road, to where she had come from, and took in the painting easel. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about being painted. He was about to refuse, when his father's cold face entered his mind "Go ahead" he said, before adding "But you won't get me looking cheerful" Unsure of what he was meant to do, he raised his eyebrows slightly. That was an interesting name, one that reminded him of black birds "Luciano" he replied briefly.

 

[Raven Mauven]

Raven heard yet another round from him and she shook her head. Though she didn’t mind it at all. Her cousins would go as far as saying that she would marry a mudblood. That was something she would have a problem with. Her father would kill her. And her mother would roll in her grave. Raven noticed that he was unusually blank, and her own expression faded to vacant coldness, an ice sculpture carefully formed by an artist. Raven thought that this could be a lucky boy enough to get to know her. She may give him a small chance. If and only if she cooperated. With her cautious fingers, she made sure that her dress covered her thighs. She had the dress lengthened to cover her long, slender legs. She may be the height of a model, but she was ten times more violent than a simple fashion show attendee.

Raven cocked her head to the side for a moment, hearing his words, and she murmured like a beautiful puppet, staring eerily with her eyes, “I prefer to paint the truth. If you forced a smile, it would be false. That would ruin the purpose of my work. Come, Luciano.” Raven purposely told him her middle name. She loathed her first name Klarissa. She was named after her grandmother from her mother’s side, a horrid creature at best. Raven would gladly change her name if given the chance. She motioned with a hand for him to follow as she glided down the street with her steps. There was a bench close to the easel. She would have to turn. “Just have a seat, and we will begin,” her Bulgarian words flowed like a song from her mouth. The song lacked any sort of happiness though. She hadn’t felt happy since Liyla died.

 

[Luciano Lurken]

The corner of Luciano's mouth almost twitched when Raven's expression turned cold to match his. So the girl, dressed head to toe in pink, wasn't as she seemed. This was the sort of person he could get along with. Somebody who knew how to handle coldness, and give it right back. It was almost Luciano's idea of fun. His eyes darted down to where her fingers touched her dress. It didn't seem to be in any way provocative, and he knew that he would never fall to anything like that. Not today, and not this girl. His mind automatically went back to Abbey, but as he raised his eyes back to the girl's face, the thought slipped away.

Luciano inclined his head, glad that she wasn't expecting him to grin like an idiot. He would never comply with that anyway, it would be far easier to just walk away. She seemed quite intelligent, which Luciano admired. He followed her slowly, eyes ahead at the bench on the side of the road. As long as he was comfortable, and didn't have to keep up any form of small talk, this painting couldn't be too bad. Purposefully not seating himself in any type of 'pose', Luciano let his shoulders relax, as he made himself comfortable on the bench. Not seeking any approval of his position, he turned his head to face her.

 

[Raven Mauven]

Raven would have to try her best. She retrieved one of her own canvases and set one on the easel. It was plain white and it was begging to be colored completely. Her bright green eyes watched Luciano take a seat on the bench, and she moved the easel so that she could easily peek over it and see the subject. Raven cocked her head slightly to the side, and saw that he wasn’t about to look like he was king of the world or smile like a moron. This was perfect. She could ask for no better subject. She held the little tray with all sorts of colors in one hand and a paintbrush in her hand. The things she painted though, she could not make them move as she was not that advanced in magic. So, it was just skill she was using. That is, if she had skills in painting humans.

And her hand moved across the canvas, the paint stroking it to color in and create a picture. A glimpse of a smile was formed on her lightly pink lips. This was when Raven could be herself, was when she was painting and she was also the nicest this way. Every so often, her eyes would peek over at him, and she would vanish behind the canvas. She had the basics down, and she was a decent painter… But it didn’t really look too real. She would have to work out the details soon… Raven sighed and she muttered hatefully, “If only this would have ended up perfect the first try. Luciano, you may move from your pose. This picture didn’t turn out…perfect.” From looking at it, one could tell it was him, but it was just a bit…well, she was no professional. Raven detailed the eyes a little more, and it looked more real, but she could do nothing else to it. “You can see it if you desire to.” Raven was more or less disappointed. Why could this not be like her other pictures which were like masterpieces?

 

[Luciano Lurken]

Luciano tried to stay as still as possible. Though he wasn't keen on being the perfect model, he didn't want to end up disfigured or anything in the painting, by shifting his position on the bench. Though he didn't move his head, Luciano was able to watch her out of the corner of his eye. She popped up, before going back to her painting, over and over again. It was almost comical. Luciano had expected this day to turn out as dull as the others, even though he was finally getting out of school. However, this little meeting had changed his outlook on the day, and for that, he was glad.

When Raven announced that she was finished, Luciano stood up, a little stiffly, twisting his neck to the side to get the stiffness out. He wasn't sure what to expect from this painting. The feeling he got was that this girl would be quite skilled, and he was expecting something quite good. Luciano walked behind her, and looked over her shoulder at the painting "It's, um-" he couldn't think of a word "Interesting" he finally came up with, in a careful tone. It wasn't the whole truth. The painting wasn't exactly... Bad. It just wasn't... Great. "Do you paint often?" he asked, cocking his head to the side to see if the painting looked any different on a ninety degree angle. Maybe if it was tilted just a little to the left...

 

[Raven Mauven]

So, Raven's skills proved not to be as good as she had hoped. Raven put her brushes on the ground and she cocked her head a bit to the side, same as Luciano. His comments were...vague but not insulting. Raven took that well, and she shrugged. "Well, it was my first try at a human. Everything else seems perfect, but humans - not so much." Raven took the drying canvas from the easel, and she set it on the grass in the sun to dry. Raven pushed her hair from her shoulders, and she stared at Luciano with a cold stare, examining him and attempting to sum him up with her glacier green eyes. Raven did not associate with men very often, as she was taught that she was much better than they. Females were superior to males.

However, this male did not seem to be scum like the rest that drooled after her like she was a lollipop on heels. It was revolting, and this boy did not do that to Raven. Luciano had yet to pass this judgement though. Raven moved graciously before him, and she stared up into his eyes, and she intoned, "Quite often." Raven moved once more, bringing out her previous painting of the street. This was what she was good at. But humans, no. Raven stacked her canvas and put her paint brushes up as well as her paints. She went to the bench, and she spoke, "I would like to know a little about you, Luciano. What is it that you do when you are not in school?" Curiosity had taken control of Raven, and she turned her head to see if he would answer, or merely walk away. She had a painting of...sort of him, it would be nice to know what type of person he was. A keeper, or someone that she would have to burn.

 

[Luciano Lurken]

Luciano stayed silent. He was quite good at keeping his mouth shut in the right situations. At least Raven knew the painting wasn't... Great. If she had started asking him insistently about how amazing it was, he would have trouble. He liked to be honest, painfully sometimes, but he also knew how to treat girls. And if he insulted her painting, it could get nasty, he knew. Women were complicated creatures. After placing the painting to dry, the blonde turned back to him, and began to appraise him with a cold stare. Luciano didn't shift uncomfortably, but stared right back unblinkingly. Let her judge him, he didn't care.

Luciano gave a small nod. It was reasonably obvious that she did paint often, considering the easel and paints. And apart from the wonky figure that could be mistaken for his mother, the painting was actually pretty good. When she stated that she'd like to know more about him, Luciano smirked slightly. He really did not like sharing his life story, and so he decided he would play her along slightly "Well actually, I like to blow up balloons for little children, then go to the local strip club" he said smoothly, keeping a straight face. It wasn't normal for Luciano to enjoy himself as much as this. Though sarcasm was a quality that he valued, he didn't normally use it to entertain like this.

 

[Raven Mauven]

Raven kept a straight face when he spoke to her in a tone that normally, some would believe that it was true. Raven tried not to smile, and it was a success. She could play along, because the story she thought was just ridiculous. Raven nodded a bit, and she intoned in a soft voice that would say that she believed every word that he had said, "Oh really? Sounds like you are quite the social butterfly and good with females." Yet, she might even play along as well. She may be secretive as well, but she was good at making up stories as she had with her cousins a few times.

However, Raven raised an eyebrow, and cold words rolled off of her tongue, "Well, unless you love little children and attract them with your sorrowful looks, and go to a strip club that invites in little boys says more about you if you truly think about it." Raven remained like a statue, and she continued, "Not much can be said about me though. I burn children and give their bones to my three-headed dog." Raven wondered what he would think about her own counter to what he had just said. With the coldness that she possessed, it would be hard not to believe her unless he knew how to play it. She assumed that he would, because he pulled that with her. A subtle, gentle smile touched her lightly pink lips and she liked some humor from time to time. If this boy did go to Hogwarts, he would have to be in Slytherin. There was no doubt about that. Slytherin ran in her blood, so it was easy to pick them out; except for those few exceptions.

 

[Luciano Lurken]

Luciano had to try hard not to snort. A social butterfly... That was just about the opposite of him. Managing to keep his face the same stonily calm expression, he replied "They love me" in a light tone, though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. The female race confused him most of the time, though he did seem to be able to attract them easily. Maybe the fact that he couldn't care less what they saw in him, instantly made him more attractive than others, clamouring for attention. Luciano was quite appreciative that Raven had instantly caught onto his little game.

Luciano raised his eyebrows "Oh, but I do love little children" he said, as if shocked that she could doubt him. Little children were extremely annoying really, and Luciano had no patience for them. They were always nagging, always wanting something "I take them to the strip clubs" he added. The last time he had tried to play this game with somebody, it hadn't ended very well. Abbey had stalked off, tired of him pretending to be uninterested in her. This way was much better. Though a little taken aback at Raven's reply, he just said "Your dog wouldn't happen to live at the strip club, would it? I thought I could hear strange noises last night..." in a mildly interested tone, as if asking her about tomorrow's weather. He wasn't sure if she would catch on to the other meaning of what he had just said, but kept his face straight and innocent, waiting to see what her answer to that would be.

 

[Raven Mauven]

Raven wondered if his blank face would crack, her piercing green eyes staring upon him, her face remaining cold yet she had that subtle little smile upon her lips. It was eerie how she could just hold that expression while people were talking to her. She had always had that ability, and it was quite impressive, as she recalled doing that to her brother-in-law, Alphonse once in the hospital when Nataliia graced Raven with two nieces and two nephews. His tone sounded almost believable, yet it was one that Raven could almost relate to. She was slightly serious, but not many could take her own sense of humor. What she was experimenting with now, the others at Durmstrang didn’t appreciate her style.

Words seeped from her lips as she continued on with the game that she had found some interest in, “I bet you do, Luciano. You appear to be the type that just adore little children.” Raven didn’t care much for children, but her family, her father’s family, she was surrounded by children. However, the Zhefarovich children were very well behaved and such. “Oh really? That sounds interesting, such an exciting life.” Raven put her arms on her thighs. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders. Raven thought of a reply to his remark. Raven purred in her own monotone voice, draped with ice, “Unless he came here when I let him out nightly to go hunting for whatever. But those strange noises weren’t the dog that you heard, it was the echoes of what you were showing those little children last night.” Raven raised her eyebrows curiously to see what he had to say about it.