Closed Catching Up, Ten Feet Up

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Ned was an expert at climbing trees - particularly this tree, which she and Ten had claimed as their hangout spot in first year, and which she had consequently climbed dozens of times. She hauled herself up onto their favourite branch, shimmying her way along to make space for Ten. "One day, this thing's going to break," she said. The branch did seem to narrow a lot more dramatically now that she was bigger. But it seemed to hold for now. "You OK?"

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten thought they were getting a little too old for climbing trees. Or at least, climbing trees in public. Besides if she did happen to break a tree on school grounds she'd feel awful about it. "Yeah, okay, well don't sit on the thin bit then," she scoffed, hauling herself up higher to sit next to Ned. She hadn't seen much of her best friend / aunt recently, and in truth Ten didn't really know why. After getting her foot dislodged from the branch she'd used to stand out, she let out a sigh. "Wonderful. You?"​

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

"Sheesh," said Ned. "Who p!ssed in your cornflakes?" Ten wasn't usually such a killjoy. All this huffing and sighing made Ned feel like she'd done something wrong, although she suspected there was more to it than that. After all, what could she have possibly done? They never got annoyed with each other - never ever. Although Ned was getting a bit annoyed by her attitude now. Whatever Ten had going on in her life, it couldn't be anywhere near as bad as what Ned had going on in hers. If anything, she should have been the one sighing and sulking. And she couldn't even talk to Ten about it, because she was being... like this.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten shot Ned a glare out of the corner of her eye. "No one," she mumbled, wondering why Ned had to start their catch-up chat being so aggressive. She had only been telling her to be careful. Everywhere she looked people seemed to have a problem and Ten was very okay with not being in the middle of that anymore. She'd worked hard to be where she was right now, on the outskirts of drama, and she was glad to keep it that way. Is that why Ned had brought her all the way out here? To ask if she was okay. They didn't usually bother with small talk so it was the first thing that had set her on edge. She stared out toward the garden if not only to contain her rising temper, although she wasn't exactly sure where that was growing from. "I haven't seen you for ages," she noted, trying to keep her voice steady.​

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Ned felt the glare like a knife. She had done something wrong. What she'd done, or when she'd done it, were mysteries she would only uncover with some delicate probing, and she wondered whether it was even worth trying. All she'd ever tried to do was be good and nice to people, especially Ten. So why did everyone seem to have a problem with her? Why couldn't anyone just... talk to her? Was she really such a screw-up that even her best friend couldn't be honest with her any more?

"I see you every day!" she said, although even before it left her mouth, she knew that was a mistake too. She looked away, focusing on a cluster of daisies on the grass. "I'm here now. So talk to me. What'd I do? Is it me? I can take it. Is it someone else? Do I need to punch someone for you? Come on. What's wrong?"

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten was doing her best to remain calm although as Ned started to push her for a reason for her grumpiness, even so far as to cause someone physical harm on her behalf, the fifth year couldn't help but crack a smile. "You haven't done anything wrong," she chuckled, looking down if not just to avoid her gaze from embarrassment. "Stop it or I'll push you out the tree," she would too, and it wouldn't be the first time. She readjusted herself a little to be more comfortable. "Everyone is so on edge these days there's no need to add to it," she mumbled, her tone light-hearted although the intention was still clear. She started swinging her legs to release some of the pent-up energy that was coursing through her veins. "How are classes?" Ten asked, keeping to a safe topic, and one that she would enjoy updating Ned with too.​

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Ned's relief made her so lightheaded, she might have fallen out of the tree without any assistance. That was the Ten she knew. "Uh-huh. Don't forget what happened to Felix. There's a lake over there and I'm not afraid to dunk you in it." She grinned, swinging her legs gently back and forth in time with her friend's. On edge was a good way to describe how Ned felt these days - and how everybody around her seemed to feel too. "Right? What is wrong with everyone? I feel like everyone's mad at me. It's weird." Then again, maybe some people had good reason to be mad at her. Ned sighed. "I don't know. Still haven't figured out what I want to do, so... feels kind of pointless. What about you?"

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten chuckled, recalling the way Felix's head had bobbed under the surface when Ned had shoved him in. She was lucky her brother was looking the other way when it happened, Ten could have sworn had it be her that had done the dunking, she would never have heard the end of it. "Welcome to my world," she mused, knowing what it felt like to be on the end of everyone's wrath. Sure, perhaps at times she hadn't helped herself but more often than not others seemed to have a bone to pick with her and it was completely unnecessary. "Pointless, or free to try out more things?" she asked, trying to keep optimistic. Ten couldn't relate, she already knew what she wanted to do with plants. "This semester is pointless. I've joined two classes just to pass the time," after all there were only so many hours you could watch a plant grow before boredom set in. Ten kicked her legs a bit more, thinking about her next comment. "I need to do something, more than just classes. I want to do something social." She'd already joined the Wild Patch which was good because they needed her help, but she still needed something else to let her hair down. "Maybe I should get a job."​

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

"Pointless. I've tried everything." All right, that was an exaggeration, but the only things Ned hadn't tried would have bored her to tears. There was simply nothing out there that interested her. Not enough to make a career out of, anyway. And now Ten was considering getting a job at fifteen? Ned made a gagging noise. "What kind of job? Selling plants?" Ned knew her friend had a skill for that sort of thing. What she wouldn't have given to have a skill of her own. She gasped suddenly. "I could help you start a business! You grow the plants, and I'll talk people into buying them. Oh, wait - you want to be social. Never mind."