Closed bring it raining down

[Eoghan Blyth]

Eoghan believed he already knew what he wanted to do when he graduated. He'd decided years ago when he realised the situation he and his sister were in. After learning he was supposed to go to a magical school instead, his career path had barely shifted. The only difference was that now he wasn't going to waste the opportunity to be even more powerful still, and while the theory would be the same, the magic would only make him stronger. That at least had been what Imogen told him the day he'd gotten his letter. If it wasn't for her, he probably wouldn't have been here at all.

In order for him to make that happen however, Eoghan knew he needed to be one of the strongest contenders. He wasn't willing to sit idle, watching as the students around him learned more, grew more, and overtook him at a rate he'd struggle to keep up if he let it get the better of him. That's why he'd been reading about Magical Creatures in the common room, and that was why he now took with his school trousers rolled up to his knees, stood in the dingy cold lake. He'd heard things about this lake and the creatures that would dwell in it. His legs had started to go numb, the pain of the stones underfoot no longer requiring his attention, as he peered into the depth of the lake. It was as though he was on a precipice - He'd gone out as far as he could without taking the full submerging, and judging but how dark it looked mere feet away from where he was standing, he was more than happy to observe from the safe distance.​

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith had finally gotten out of the castle with one mission, to explore the grounds. She was brimming with excitement and she could feel it in her bones. All the possibilities and new things she could find around the grounds were almost endless. One thing she had hoped her whole life was to perhaps be more around magic, as much as she loved to be able to live amongst the muggles and learn their way of living, she couldn't help but feel a little sad that her biggest contact with magic throughout her childhood had been a few times a year. Getting that letter had been a monumental moment in her life and she had felt the energies around her life shift in that moment.

As the young witch marched down the paths outside she stumbled upon a peculiar view. She recognized that blonde head the second she laid eyes on it. She stopped a few meters away, deciding to stay quiet and observe. Leaning her weight on one foot and hands on her hips she studied the scene in front of her. What was he doing? He was almost knees deep in what must have been freezing water? Staring at is as though he could see distant worlds through the waves.

"Ah this is sort of like an image from that story of Narcissus, the one who stared at his own reflection from a pool of water." Now that it was just the two of them she felt more inclined to speak in their shared mother tongue. There was a hint of curiosity in her voice, out of all the things she had thought she would see this definitely was not on the list. "Though I do hope this one has a happier ending."

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Perhaps it was a lie created to scare children, that the lake in reality had nothing in it at all. It didn't help that the sun overhead was casting a reflection against the water's edge, making it even harder to see through the darkness. He'd heard people on the shore behind him, coming and going although most paid him no attention. He supposed it wasn't unusual to see the curiosity of a first-year checking out every crevice of the grounds, but given that no one had also tried to stop him made him think he was correct with the idea that it was just fictional as a bedtime story told to youngsters who wouldn't sleep.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as heard those words from his home, taking a moment to register what had been said. He knew of course who was standing there before he'd peered over his shoulder, but by the time he had a frown was set between his eyes. "Ah yes, vanity always has been my downfall," his tone slick with sarcasm. He debated taking the compliment though, although he knew that's not what Lilith was referring to. At this rate, maybe his own reflection staring back at him was the only thing he was going to see. "Have you ever seen a Grindylow? Giant Squid? Or a Merperson?" he asked, before turning his gaze back to the waters. There was only so long he could look behind him without getting a crick in his neck; he wasn't an owl.​

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith couldn't help the smile that broke free on her face at those words. Even the thick sarcasm in his tone wasn't enough to erase the amusement she felt. Eoghan's next words made her pause for a second though, is that what the boy was trying to find in this lake? Her green eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the thought. "Ah no, not me but my father swears he has seen a Merperson. He said it was both terrifying and intriguing, though from the stories they tell us as children I wouldn't mind going through my life without ever setting my eyes on any of those." She really meant it as well.

Taking a few steps forward Lilith brushed some of the hair away from her face and moved her eyes from the back of his blonde head to the water he was standing in. "Had any luck in finding one here? Though I doubt you'd find any of them this shallow. You'd have to go deeper where they like to live." Knees deep wasn't deep enough to find any of those creatures that dwelled in the depths of bodies of water, though from the looks of it she also doubted the boy would go for a swim there to find what he was looking for.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Although Eoghan wanted first hand accounts of the things he read, maybe it wasn't so wise to see a Merperson in the flesh if Lilith father had just a tale to tell. Then again, perhaps that was why he sought it out, "You shouldn't let fear stand between you and wanting to know what's the truth," he spoke, loud enough that Lilith could still despite no longer looking her way. Just because it scared others and maybe it would scare him, to see something with his own eyes, didn't mean that he was going to run away from learning about it or discovering what it really was. If everyone did that, there would be little evidence of anything at all.

The Ravenclaw sighed, getting the feeling that she wasn't going to leave him alone. He came out here of his own accord, not to be bombarded with questions he was trying to learn for himself. Perhaps Lilith could learn a thing or two from the same attitude. "Not yet," he said through a clenched jaw. He wasn't stupid, of course they wouldn't be in the shallows, but what Lilith couldn't see from her position of the shore was that it wasn't the swallows he was looking at. "You're welcome to join me and see for yourself before you decide to criticise," he threw back. He wasn't going to help her if she wasn't going to help herself.​

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith frowned slightly. He thought it was fear that made her not mind not seeing such creatures? She was never one to let fear control any aspect of her life. "Oh no no, it is not that I am afraid of them. They just aren't my main interest, if I were to see one I wouldn't mind but I am not going out of my way to seek a sighting of them." Her interests revolved around other things, but those stories had scared her as a kid and maybe then it was fear that made her not want to see them, but as of now it just wasn't a thing she prioritized as a wanted experience.

Lilith angled her head slightly and let a small laugh slip through her lips. Of course he'd think of her as criticising. "Hmph, fine though I am not trying to criticise you. I suppose I could join and see for myself as well, what's the harm?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth she bended down to take her shoes off and take her socks and roll up her trousers, to avoid getting them wet and dirty. As soon as the water touched her feet she fought against flinching, it really was cold.

Slowly but surely Lilith made her way next to the boy and peered over what he was looking at. "Ah, I see there is an edge." She whispered more to herself than him. Her feet were starting to feel a little numb, but the water was strangely alluring and she couldn't bring herself to retreat quite yet.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

"And here, I thought you were interested in animals," Eoghan retorted. Maybe he was trying to poke a fire within her just because he could, or maybe he was just making the most of being able to speak to someone in his native tongue, but he'd already said more words to Lilith since joining the school than he had anyone else. He was curious about what she was afraid of, what was it that kept her up at night, and whether she'd face it should the situation ask. He'd never present her with the question though, because that would open the door for her to ask him right back, and that was something no one needed to know.

A small smirk appeared on his face as he heard Lilith preparing herself to join him in the water, the light movement of water following soon after. "The smaller stones are the worst, it's easier out here," he called in an attempt to reassure. He'd waded out here on his own and knew that the stones underfoot would be slippery, but he'd managed perfectly well on his own not to fall over, he fully expected Lilith to be able to handle herself, too. He was a little surprised that she'd joined him though, not only because it was cold, and she apparently had no interest, but also because he hadn't exactly been welcoming to her since they'd begun to talk. Maybe like him, she felt the comfort of home life in the voice of another.

After a moment Lilith made it to his side, looking down into the water in the direction he'd been staring for so long. "Exactly," he added, no longer needing to speak so loudly for her to hear him. "Something far more interesting than our own reflections. Some people say there's an entire village of Merpeople down there, living their lives without ever being seen by the students, or staff." He wasn't sure why, but the idea of a village that was so out of reach from the rest of civilisation actually gave him comfort. "The books say they can breathe outside of water if they wanted to, which means they never visit out of choice, not necessity. Although, sometimes they're also called Sirens." The things Eoghan had read did contract themselves a little, but he could grasp a general idea, "If it's true, that there are Sirens down there, they must be far out if the school is considered safe."​

 

[Lilith Ilves]

"Ah I do like Animals, there is a difference between animals and humanoid creatures, which I do consider Merpeople to be. Much like us they have their way of living and are somewhat similar to us, just underwater I suppose. My interests lie in less so humanoid ones, so technically the two other creatures fall under those branches." Lilith felt a small smile tugging at her lips, it was progress that she had him talking this much. She had the impression that talking to others wasn't exactly his favourite thing, but she was glad he was talking with her. Even if it was subtle hostility at moments.

She found herself nodding in response to the things he was saying. Listening to every detail, she had read of those creatures herself before, but that didn't matter. It always felt as strange as the first time to imagine that there were civilisations much like their own living just deep under their feet. "Yes well it would be rather counter productive to scare the children with stories, only for them to attend school which grounds were swarming with creatures of those stories, I suppose." Her voice sounded more contemplative than she had realized.

"They probably just want to be left alone, to live in peace. It is quite interesting and fascinating. I do know I said it isn't part of my interests, it was sort of a lie sort of not. See if I were to fall down this rabbit hole again, there would be no getting out for me." Lilith let out a nervous laugh at the end. She had a tendency to get quite invested in things she studied, which was why she tried to limit her list of interests and as a child to save her siblings from having to hear her talk all about those creatures and beings, she had willingly chosen to not include them on that list. Though now that she was half a world away, on her own, maybe she could finally indulge in things that truly fascinated her. Without having to be afraid of scaring her younger siblings.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Eoghan had to admit he enjoyed the way Lilith thought about things. She was precise, logical, and had reasoning for the things she did and didn't do. She wasn't like most of the students he'd met so far, who were quick to jump in head first to prove themselves to be the loudest, most entertaining. The real proof was understanding that the people who were most interesting to the Ravenclaw were those who could form their opinions with intellect, and thought, and be open to discussions or debate. "What would you interpret the difference between humanoid creatures and beasts to be?" he asked, wondering if she considered beasts to be an entirely separate category of its own, or if it further aligned under the animal bracket.

For the first time since joining Hogwarts, Eoghan began laughing as he pictured the poor students arriving at school, only to be met with the very creatures they'd be warned to stay away from in their fairytales. "Does that mean you'd consider the forest to be safe, despite the warnings?" he asked after the chuckle had faded, thinking back to the start of year feast where they'd be warned no less than three times by professors not to go into the forest. Eoghan found he genuinely cared about Lilith's opinions, which was more than he could say for most people in the castle.

"I know the feeling," Eoghan mused under his breath, thinking how nice it would be to live in a remote place where no one could find him, even if they tried to look. He turned his head a little, his pale blue eyes landing on Lilith when she revealed she'd lied, although he waited to hear why. He wasn't against a little fib if it meant protection for the future, and he could hardly blame her for lying to him. He would have told everyone he had no interests if it would keep them at arm's length. He thought for a moment, "You climbed out once before, why on earth couldn't you do that again?" Eoghan didn't know why she'd need to avoid a topic that interested her in the first place, but would it be such a terrible burden if Lilith sought answers for the things she was most passionate about?​

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith smiled at the question, taking a moment to form her words into a coherent response. "Well I suppose to me humanoid creatures and beasts difference is kind of same as animals and humanoid. Though beasts and animals, too, share a difference. At the bottom of it all though their intelligence differs from us humans. Humanoid creatures to my understanding, have some sort of ability to understand and follow the rules of magic and everything involved, beasts and animals however usually lack those boundaries." She felt true satisfaction getting to explain her view soo freely to someone, though there was a risk of judgement in her gut she had a feeling the boy next to her would do no such thing.

Lilith was partly startled by the beautiful sound of his laugh. She involuntarily turned her head from staring at the water to the now laughing friend of hers. Her expression melted into one of awe, rarely had she heard a laugh that was so joyous and lively as his had been. The moment was over much too soon to Lilith's liking and she had to compose herself back up and return to reality from wherever she had gone in her head. "Oh gods no. There is a reason we are warned about the forest. Just because most of the school grounds are safe doesn't mean that those warning should be ignored, unless of course one wants to encounter such troubles." Her hair swayed with the movement of shaking head. Those warnings weren't for nothing, the forest was far from safe.

A tiny smile etched on the corner of the girls lips. "Back then, I had my family to remind me of the reality. It took some time and considerable effort for them to get me to part from all those books. I am a bit afraid that if I fell into those holes here, there would be nobody to offer me a hand to help me out and soon I'd be just buried in the books and forgetting about everything else." Not to mention that she was here, above all, to learn what the classes taught. She had no intention of falling behind on those because of her personal interests, but maybe she'd try to indulge eventually in safe portions.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Growing up with Imogen, it was Eoghan's sister who was the ongoing one of the pair. She had stories, thoughts and ideas and would always be voicing something or another, which meant that Eoghan had gotten very good at listening. He preferred it even. He wasn't shy nor quiet, but if he had to choose one or the other he would have described himself as an introvert, happy to observe the world around him. Lilith had a good point too, one that he hadn't considered which made her an interesting acquaintance to have.

Eoghan nodded once with a small smile as she confirmed that the forbidden forest was just that. "Good. Smart." He knew that on paper what they'd spoken about beforehand was true, that it would be absurd for a school to contain the creatures that parents would have spent their evening warning children of, however, if they were going to be anywhere it would be there, and there would have been warned from it for a good reason. Eoghan was glad, and found himself surprised so, that Lilith had made Ravenclaw. It would have been a shame if she were now stood beside him in yellow robes.

Listening to Lilith speak about her family, and the way she had to be encouraged to pursue other interests beyond those she found interesting, made him think about his own. In fact, her own path reminded him of the way he too was determined not to be distracted, albeit by something different, but he wanted to keep focus nonetheless. "It can be.." Eoghan started, feeling the stone under his left foot tilting. Before he had a moment to register what was happening, the first year was thrown under the water, fully submerged in the icy cold lake.​

 

[Lilith Ilves]

There was amusement dancing in her eyes as she studied Eoghan with those words coming out of his mouth, hearing those words of validation from him had been rather unexpected. Not to mention so soon, she was counting on having to warm him up a little longer, but she took the win and kept her mouth closed about it, if only to not give him a reason to put those walls back up.
Lilith set her eyes back to the water, though now she was peering all the way to the farthest her eyes could see. Not looking for anything particular, just to observe how far the lake carried. Her ears perked up at the start of a sentence but she was left utterly confused when instead of ending the sentence she heard a big splash and cold water landed all over her. The Ravenclaw turned her head to look for her friend but saw no sign of him, it took her brain five additional seconds to process and understand what had happened. "Gods, Eoghan, where are you? This is not funny, get back up right this second." Her voice took a panicked edge as she kneeled in the water, her clothes be damned, and reached into the depths for any grasp of the boy.

Lilith felt her heart race like never before as she frantically tried to find Eoghan with her hands. It was so cold, she had to get a grip of him so she could help him back, she hadn't the faintest idea whether the boy could even swim. For everyone's sanity she hoped he could. After what felt like an eternity audible sigh escaped from between the witches lips as she felt, or what she really hoped was her friends arm. She gripped the arm putting all the strength in her small body into pulling him back up. "Gods, are you okay?" She asked panting heavily once she had in fact helped to pull her friend back up.

Out of Character:

godmod approved

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Usually, during a dive or a leap into a large body of water, one may have taken a large breath of air prior to submerging themselves, so that they would have a decent amount of time before they needed to return to the surface. Unfortunately for Eoghan, who had been halfway through a sentence when he'd slipped on the rocks and slid into the depths of the lake, he wasn't aware he'd held his breath at all. In fact, the only thing he could register was the sharp pain that shot straight up his nose and the discomfort in his eyes.

Eoghan may have been stood in the shallows, but he'd been stood on the edge of the lake floor that would open up towards the expansive center, which meant that now his legs were flying out over into the open waters. His arm had struck out too as though he had anything to grab before he'd disappeared under the water, but had held no purchase.

Time stood still for those few seconds, his thoughts racing about the Merpeople and Merlin knew what else that lived in the lake, that could reach out and simply grab him. Every muscle in his body was screaming out that he needed to get away, out of reach from the creatures he couldn't see. If someone grabbed his ankles now he wouldn't stand a chance. The panic rose inside him fast, and despite it only being a few seconds, and despite barely moving from his initial position in the shallows, he knew there and then that this was not for him.

Had Eoghan been above water he would have yelled as he felt a hand grab his arm. This was it, this was what it was like to be dragged out to the Merpeople village. No sooner had he thought that his head broke the surface as Lilith pulled him out. He hardly heard her question as he struggled to get his balance on the hard rocks, still flailing around as he tried to stand up. His heart was racing, pounding in his chest as he was finally successful, shaking his arm away from the Ravenclaw. "Get off me," he said, coughing through the water that had shot up his nose on the downfall. He yanked his arm out of Lilith's grasp, backing up through the water.

"No, I can't. This is so stupid, I can't," he kept saying, over and over as he went back towards the shore, reaching the bank with his clothes and hair stuck to his head and body. He'd given it a week, he'd tried to get on with this school, but if all it was going to take for him to be pulled away was a few stones then it was just stupid to risk it.​

 

[Lilith Ilves]

The relief Lilith had felt in those moments after pulling her new friend out of the water were fast to vanish as he shook her off as if she had done something wrong. Her brows furrowed in confusion and her mouth opened as if to say something, but no words came out. She had helped him? Why was he acting as if she were the one to push him in? Her green eyes followed the boys movements as he scrambled away hysterically and she found herself following those movements, though her movements were considerably slower. Now that the adrenaline rush had settled a bit she realized just how wet she had gotten, too.

With a shivering body Lilith rose to her feet and threw her hands in the air. "After that whole talk about how I shouldn't let my fears dictate what I wanted to learn about, yet one thing happens and you are the one giving up and running away?" The exasperation in her voice was so clear that under any other circumstances she might have flinched, but right now she was just confused by the reaction and frustrated. "I am not your enemy, I want to be your friend and I thought we made progress today and please do forgive me for rushing to help you." Any other reaction she could have understood, but not him acting as if she was in the wrong for helping him. It was all too much for her brain to even wrap around.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Eoghan hated that she was right. He had wanted to be there and he was backing out because of fear, was he really that hypocritical? He hadn't thought so but it was so blindingly obvious Lilith was right that the Ravenclaw couldn't look at her, couldn't even turn to face her and see her properly even after what she'd done. The only difference was, he had something to lose. "I am not giving up," he said angrily trying to unfold his trousers below the knee, but given they were sopping wet now it made it much harder for them to budge. Maybe it was just one thing that happened, and maybe he did want to leave, but how could he not when he was so fearful of himself? It had been a long time since he felt so confused, so conflicted.

Eoghan's jaw was clenched tight again as he heard Lilith's words, wishing he could just block them out. This was why he didn't have friends, this was why he tried to keep away from people. Maybe if he hadn't been so distracted talking to her he never would have fallen in the first place, he wouldn't have needed her help. "You're not my enemy, but I can't stay here," he reiterated, "It has nothing to do with the lake," Actually it did, but it was deeper than that, no pun intended. Eventually, his trousers reached his ankles once more, although his whole body was shivering now from the cold, air whipping around him that made it twice as worse. His blue eyes glanced at Lilith to see that she too had gotten considerably soaked although at least she'd kept her hair mostly dry. "You shouldn't bother trying to be my friend," he added, looking around on the ground for the rest of his belongings, "I'm not some project for you to work on."​

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith shook her head furiously. He was wrong. So wrong. Could he not see it himself? He was running away from the reality, avoiding it because he was afraid. It wouldn't change a thing. She felt her arms drop to her sides before she too started to search for her socks and shoes. "So what? You are returning home? Where you inevitably will feel out of place, you wont learn to control what runs in your blood, all because you are afraid?" It might have been harsh, but she could not bear to see him do this to himself. She knew what it was like amongst the muggles, not being able to be your true self.

Just as she had shoved her feet into those socks and shoes his words broke any remaining restraint she had on her own emotions. "A project?" She could not believe it, tears started to brim in her eyes as she found her voice again. "A project I can work on? Is that how low you think of me? Fine have it your way. Run away from the reality, but deep in your bones you know avoiding it won't make it go away. It will haunt you for the rest of your life, so you can either accept it and take the education they offer us or live the rest of your life haunted by what is within you." Before those tears had the chance to fall and her voice to break Lilith started to walk away. "Just for your information, I wanted to be your friend. I enjoyed our conversations. Not everyone is trying to hurt or use you." With the last sentence her voice broke and she took her leave toward the castle. She had offered him friendship and he had turned it away as if it was the plague.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Maybe Eoghan would have felt out of place, but at least he'd be at home with his sister where he belonged. What was the use of being good at magic, skilled at controlling what "runs in his blood" if he wasn't even there to use it? What if something happened to him, how would he or his sister forgive themselves for not stopping things before it was too late? Eoghan didn't want to admit that he was afraid, but it may not have been for the reason Lilith most suspected.

Every word out of Lilith mouth Eoghan felt like a stab in his ears, a pounding on the door that was now firmly closed in his mind, as he sat on the opposite side, waiting for the person to leave him in peace. Lilith reached for her things to leave and in that moment Eoghan was glad for it. He wouldn't have to explain himself or why he did what he did, let her believe whatever narrative she wanted. He said nothing as she stormed away, leaving him alone and shivering at the side of the lake. Maybe not everyone did want to hurt or use him, but unfortunately for Eoghan he had a knack for not finding out the truth before it was too late, and he had no intention of falling back into that particular pond.
​

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FIN​