After the ball

[Jaken Styx]

The wind felt rather wintry against his face. He wondered if Estrella was cold. The air felt chilly enough for him to wear his jacket. No matter if she was cold, he had brought his former Durmstrang fur coat earlier that day. He had placed it on a rock next to where he was standing. He grinned at her, "This is the place where we first met." Jaken glanced over to the lake for only a moment before turning back to Estrella.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella grinned broadly, her eyes sparkling as she looked back to Jaken. She was so lucky to have found a great friend, chuckling, "You know, it is!" She remembered that day- both had exchanged little conversation at first but then had warmed up to each other. Shivering a bit as she stood, she sort of wished that she was back in the heated Great Hall but was happy to be with Jaken nonetheless. She could not stop beaming at him; she was having a great time tonight.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken nodded amusingly. He remembered things like this. How could he possibly forget? He saw her shiver and smirked, "Cold?" Not waiting for a response, he bent down behind him and got his Durmstrang coat. It was brand new, since he thought he would spend his fifth year there, but he was wrong. He wrapped it around Estrella. He hoped that she wouldn't be as cold with the fur coat on. He asked, "Better?" He glanced back up at the castle. He was glad to be away from all those people. He never liked crowds anyhow. His eyes went back to Estrella, and he kept his smile painted on his face.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Feeling that she was enveloped in a giant animal skin she grinned broadly at Jaken, quite amused. "I look like a huge fuzzy animal don't I?" Indeed, the jacket was quite large on her, although that was probably partially due to its bulk. "You know- these are nice and warm." Her gaze starry, she stated, "Thanks a bunch!" She fought the impulse to give him a hug, as she would do with her other friends. Or, Kale, when she had been dating him. "Way better." Her smile was warm, wishing she could convey her feelings in a way that wouldn't embarrass him, and most importantly herself.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken laughed, "A cute fuzzy animal." He smirked a bit. It was quite big on her. He assumed that it would be quite big on him if he were to wear it. He didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable in his tuxedo. He was used to much colder weather. He wondered if he were to every adjust, or survive the August month. He rested his arms on his chest. He grinned, "I suppose you might be wondering how that coat got down here in the first place." Jaken smirked again. His plan had worked, and wondered if she suspected anything. It gave him a pulse of nervousness, but he smoothed it down to be unnoticable.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella laughed, a bit of a tinge of pink creeping into her cheeks. "Thanks-" she raised an eyebrow, giggling, although in a subtle way. She had never been one for high pitched squeals. "And yes, how did this get down here? Let me guess," her eyes widened in mock surprise, "It's really living and crawled out her all by its own!" She laughed, the image of Jaken's coat sprouting legs and making its way to the lakefront brightening her night even more, if that was possible. She wondered why he had brought her down here, but maybe that was just because it was a familiar place.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken grinned at her. He then imagined the coat coming alive. He laughed and then teased, "No, just it did tend to wrap around me like a strait-jacket until my dad had to get it off me." He quieted down and got into a more placid tone. He answered her question, "Well, I was curious on how you felt about me, and see whether it is mutual." He got right down to the point. He quickly added, "If I am going too fast, feel free to stop me at any time." He gave her a smile.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella laughed, wrapping the jacket tightly around her. She wished avidly that she had one of her own- and wouldn't that be a surprise for her grandfather. That'd raise more than a few questions.

She blushed a bright red as Jaken asked her something that she had not expected, butterflies once again exploding inside her stomach and battering the lining of it with no mercy. "How I- feel about you?" She could not help giving him a goofy smile. This wasn't really the time to lie, right? Finding it an odd question but enthralled by it all the same, she stammered, "Well- I- I like you. A lot." She felt like a thirteen year old again, wondering if the last thing she had added was entirely unnecessary. It made her feel less mature than she was. She hadn't really intended to express her feelings this way. But then again, what way was the right way? She gave Jaken a weak smile, hoping that he would have a good reaction.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken smirked a bit. Seeing Estrella act like that amused him. He simply adored her answer. He smiled at her, feeling rather confident, "Well, I guess the feelings are mutual." Jaken wondered if he had made her insecure. He then felt a bit bad. He didn't want to make her feel like that at all. Jaken quickly said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you that. It was just bugging me, that's all." Jaken knew that he was being honest. Perhaps too honest, he thought.

 

[Estrella Drage]

"No- it's okay," Estrella started, feeling more than a bit relieved. Red was still prominent in the tip of her cheeks. Despite the fact that her fears were alleviated she could not help blushing. The fifth year Ravenclaw was quite glad that the feeling was mutual- it would have left her in an incredibly awkward position indeed.

Smiling at him weakly, she was at a loss for words. What was she supposed to say? She didn't even know how things were going to go from here.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken beamed. He felt like it was bit more capable liking someone if it is mutual. He murmured, "The reason why I wanted to know, is because I was curious on whether you want to be in a relationship with me." He wished he could word it better, but alas, he couldn't. He felt more nervous with each passing second, and it was the best he could do.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella did not feel that her smile could get any wider as she gazed back at Jaken, having figured that these questions would have motivated this result. She was rather pleased- and what else did she have to say except yes?

"I think I would like that very much," she replied, her eyes bright. No longer were her feelings masked, at least, to an extent. While she was eager to jump back into a new relationship she was cautious- partly because of a previous one and the reading she had been given in Ancient Runes. She hoped that things would turn out for the best.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken couldn't believe Estrella's answer. Of course, he was thrilled about it. He was glad that he didn't have to hide his feelings. Jaken smiled, "Well, you might have to teach me how to be a good boyfriend. I haven't really had much experience." Jaken knew that he wasn't like most guys. He actually respected girls, and their space.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella was unable to wipe the smile off her face upon seeing Jaken's reaction. She realized how close they were, and without thinking about it she moved forward quickly, standing on her tiptoes and pecking him on the cheek. Blushing profusely, she stood back a bit, smirking at him.

"Me teach you how to be a good boyfriend? Don't worry, I've only been through one before. I don't have that much experience myself."

She felt a little embarrassed by her previous action and she hoped that she hadn't freaked the Durmstrang boy out.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken stared down at the girl, or rather, his new girlfriend. He knew that nothing could ruin this moment. Jaken then felt her give him a small peck, something only his mother had ever done. He didn't blush, but instead,went pale. He didn't know what to do or say. "Uh...you caught me off guard again." He gave a small, nervous laugh.

"I have only had one, though it seemed more like friendship than a real relationship, so I'm new to this." He gave her a warm smile.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella frowned. "I'm sorry-" she mumbled, her voice trailing, wondering if she had gone too far. Was catching him off guard a good or bad thing? He looked to be at a loss for words. She didn't want to make things awkward, especially when they were just starting out a new relationship.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken saw her frown, and it upset him a bit. Jaken decided to perhaps do something he hasn't ever done for someone out of family. Jaken cautiously embraced Estrella in a gentle hug. He was indeed new at this, but maybe he should go along with instincts. He murmured, "Don't be sorry. I like it when you catch me off guard." He smiled, knowing it was true.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella had been a little worried but the frown on her face melted as Jaken pulled her into a rather gentle hug, laughing. "I'm not gonna break!" she giggled, hugging him back with a bit more force and then pulling away. "I was just worried that I had moved too fast or something." She liked seeing him smile in return; it made her day. And made this night even better. She was dreading the end of it.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken laughed too, "Well, I would hope not." He enjoyed the embrace Estrella gave. Jaken adored witnessing her smile. "I don't think so." Jaken dreaded to be heading back to his house soon. He wished the night would never end. He wondered aloud, "I wonder who the next Herbology and Potions professors are?" He then realized what he had said, and it might kept her talking. He hated to not be talking to her.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella smiled broadly at Jaken. She knew it would be smart not to sink into the inevitable mushiness of a relationship, at least not yet. "We're getting new Herbology and Potions Professors?" she inquired, a bit worriedly. "Why did Professors Keller and Rambolt leave?" With them gone, the original staff of Hogwarts New Zealand would be at severely low numbers. The class of students she had originally started out with had dwindled to four. Now, the professors were disappearing too. This left her quite morose although she tried not to show it. She admired both Professors Keller and Rambolt and was now curious to see who could possibly replace them.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken glanced down at the ground. He shrugged, "I have no idea why they would leave. I didn't know Keller...but Rambolt was awfully nice. My father seems to know more about it than I do. And the rumors around here are true." Jaken didn't feel too well about this. His father knew too much. Jaken, for the first time in a long time, felt frightened a bit. More like shocked. The professors leaving, his father not going to Bulgaria for his business, and Vasilka and Namina seem to be hiding something... Jaken decided not to show his own worried face.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella bit her lip as she looked back to him. "I wonder why, though? I don't think we have any original teaching staff left then! Well, besides Professor King and Waltham, maybe." Sure, positions were switching all the time, but the fact of her Potions and Herbology Professors leaving boggled her mind. It left her curious to see who the new professors would be, and if they would live up to the legacy of Professors Keller and Rambolt.

Remembering that tonight's focus was on the Yule Ball, however, she decided that she could let her brooding about the departure of two beloved instructors consume another time. She frowned a bit, noticing that Jaken looked rather uncomfortable. "You okay?" she inquired aloofly, giving him a small smile. "I've had a really good time tonight, you know." She hated to admit it but she could not help noticing that it was getting rather late. Late for even the Yule Ball. She didn't want to leave tomorrow for her grandfather's. The Ravenclaw girl rather wished this night would drag on forever but the stark reality of it was that it would not.

 

[Jaken Styx]

"Weird how professors just leave randomly." He actually liked Keller and Rambolt. And he wouldn't be able to find out who the new professors were unless he actually went to them. Jaken tried to find a way to figure it out. Just something in him had a bad feeling about it all. Jaken laughed nervously, "We could always spy on the new professors and see if they live up to the old ones." He had never spied on anyone before, so he wondered how he could pull it off.

"I just have a bad feeling... But maybe it is just nothing. It happens all the time." He smiled at her. The lateness of the night was getting to him. It made him realize that tonight would have to end. Jaken grinned at her, "I did too. You are a great dancer." Jaken didn't want to go to his home just yet. Just thinking about facing Vasilka in person troubled him. But, he also had a feeling she wouldn't bother him either. His mind went back on tonight, and he continued to smile. He enjoyed every minute of it, and never wanted it to end. However, it just had to, to his dismay.

 

[Estrella Drage]

"Spying on them? Nah- I think we should just attend their classes!" Estrella laughed. She cocked her head to the side. "You can tell me, you know. Of course, that is if you want to." Smiling at him warmly, she shivered a bit where she stood. "Thanks! You're way better than me at it though. I'm surprised I haven't fallen over and sprained an ankle!" She grinned back at Jaken, sad that the night would have to end so soon.

 

[Jaken Styx]

Jaken shrugged, "We would have to wait until next year. We don't have herbology and potions yet." Jaken shrugged, "Well, I just don't know. Something is up, and I am dying to know what it is." Jaken narrowed his eyes. He wondered how to explain the feeling. "It feels rather dark. That's all." Jaken took another glanced at her heels. He shook his head, "If I were in those things, I would have probably crashed into something. That automatically makes you better." Jaken smirked a bit.