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[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire ran as fast as her legs could take her. She bolted down the stairs, not knowing what floor she finally stumbled out onto. She didn't slow down until she hit the wall, gripping the stones with her fingers and holding to them so hard her knuckles turned white. Her entire body shook violently. What was this?! Merlin, she was so stupid. What could she have been thinking? He would never have loved her. She was suddenly very grateful she had never spoken the words out loud. It was the last thing he had said to her that shook her to her core. She moved a fist to her mouth, trying hard to calm herself down. She couldn't do this. Not here, not now, not ever.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel's entire existence seemed to have devolved into a game of Avoid Analei. He was pretty good at it. Besides when they shared classes, he hadn't bumped into her much at all lately. He also hadn't spent very much time in the Hufflepuff common room, which was a shame, because it was cosy and comforting and one of his favourite places to be, but that couldn't be helped.

There was still an hour or so until curfew, and Arvel was loitering around the fifth floor corridor. Since he couldn't do his homework in the common room, he'd taken to doing it on random window-ledges, which worked quite well, because the view of the grounds, especially at night, was calming and good for concentration. He was in the middle of a lengthy Defence essay when somebody hit the wall not far from where he was hidden. Startled, he put down his quill and textbook and stood up. Sapphire...? He hadn't really spoken to her since the incident on the platform. He felt too awkward. But now he couldn't help himself; her grief made his throat constrict, and he knew he couldn't leave her by herself. "What happened?" he asked, half reaching out for her shoulder, too afraid to actually touch it. "Are you OK?"

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice spoke out from behind her. She spun, eyes wide and damp with unshed tears. She laughed shakily, running both hands through her hair. "Arvel! Where did you come from?" She tried to calm herself but couldn't seem to quit shaking. "I, ah, heh, don't suppose you would believe nothing happened?" She tried with a wobbly smile.

She sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I- no, it- it's fine." She lied feebly, sliding down to sit on her bum. "It doesn't matter. Uh, thanks for asking though." She gave him a small smile. It was sweet of him to care, but she just... couldn't care about this. She didn't care that her heart had just been ripped to shreds. She would just... have to convince herself that she meant it first.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

"Um..." said Arvel. Sapphire was shaking and sniffling and there were tears in her eyes. The only way she could have convinced him nothing had happened was with a memory-loss charm. He watched her slide down to the floor, then decided to sit next to her. Déjà vu. "Something to do with your aunt?" he hazarded. He didn't know Sapphire very well, but thanks to their run in on the platform, he did know a little bit about her family. "You don't... have to say," he added quickly, picking at a hangnail on his thumb. A few students glanced down at them as they walked past. Arvel could feel them looking, but did his best to ignore it. He was used to people looking at him, and rarely for good reasons.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire let out a pained laugh at Arvel's question. She shook her head. Maybe if she talked about it a little, she could forget about it. She swiped at the tears. "I... no, it's okay. I... was dating someone." She shook her head. "Stupid, I know. I... I thought that I... that I had..." She spoke quietly, then scoffed. "It doesn't matter. I was going to tell him, but..." She bit her lip, a tear slipping out as she thought about it. "He... he said she was right. My aunt. That he wanted nothing to do with me. I ruined his life. All that fun stuff." She laughed, swiping at her eyes. I don't care, I don't care, I don't care. "I really am nothing but bad luck." She muttered brokenly, running both her hands through her hair.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel felt a little guilty that he might have pressured Sapphire into explaining, but didn't try to stop her. Part of him wanted to know. Morbid curiosity, and all that. Otherwise he'd spend the rest of the day wondering about it. He looked up at her just as a tear rolled down her cheek, and suddenly found that he was fighting back his own tears. He'd always felt like crying when other people cried, but it was even worse when he could relate to their sadness. How could somebody say such terrible things to her? If he found out who it was... well, he probably wouldn't do anything. But he would definitely imagine doing something in his head. "I don't think that," he said eventually, looking down. It wasn't a lot of comfort, but maybe it would mean something. He thought it should mean something.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire struggled to pull herself together. She wasn't going to cry over something so stupid as a break-up, she couldn't. She focused on that, almost forgetting Arvel was there. But then he spoke out. She jumped a little, turning to look at him again. She gave him a small smile. Without thinking first, she leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder. "How are you always right here when I need someone the most?" She asked him, turning and leaning into him a bit. She shut her eyes and drew comfort from his warmth. Maybe... maybe she would go find Onyx. He was always open to cuddling her.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel stiffened as Sapphire leaned her head on his shoulder, but didn't try to move away. Her question both amused and saddened him. He didn't know. He was good at being there for other people. Not always at giving them good advice, necessarily, but at listening. It was just a shame he didn't really have anybody to return the favour when he needed it. He sat completely rigidly, a little concerned somebody he knew would pass by and assume they were a couple. "Um," he said after a moment, trying to hint without hurting her feelings. "I... should probably go."