Open Instant Regret

[Freddie Lagowski]

Freddie could entertain himself for a long time with nothing but a big stick. First it was a sword, then a cane, and now he swung it at the rosebush like a scythe, knocking several blossoms off at once. Oops. Oh well - magic could probably grow them back again. Weird place to put a rosebush, he thought, swiping at another flower. That one was Ares' head. He didn't see the memorial plaque; it was on the other side.​

 

[Arachne Westwick]

Arachne felt stifled at Hogwarts. Every free moment she had, Nessie wanted to hang out with her. She understood it, but sometimes she felt trapped. So she had lied. A little. Well, she did have Herbology today, later. So it wasn't a big lie. But she had told her sister she had to go to the greenhouse and had escaped from the castle. But now she was worried Nessie would somehow find out, and she decided to hide out in the rosebush until she did have to go to the greenhouses. She got distracted, crouched down and looking at a beetle on one of the leaves, when suddenly a stick smashed through the branches and nearly hit her. She yelped.

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Freddie froze, the stick dangling from his hand. Did the bush just cry out? Was it... alive? Did he hurt it? "Hello?" he said. He felt a bit ridiculous, talking to a bush, but if the statues and portraits could talk back...

 

[Arachne Westwick]

Arachne froze and tried to peer through the branches and thorns to the other side, eyes wide. She didn't know what sort of person hit a rose bush with a stick, but it wasn't someone she wanted to know. Maybe if she stayed still, he wouldn't notice her.

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

The bush had gone shy. Freddie was sure he'd heard it cry out. He wasn't hearing things, right? Slowly, gently, he pushed the stick into the foliage. making exploratory little jabs to see if he could get it to make another noise.

 

[Arachne Westwick]

Arachne's eyes widened even more as she saw the stick come at her again. At least it was slower this time and not difficult to dodge. She bit her lip and curled up a bit more, hoping the boy with the stick would stop and leave.

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

The end of the stick tapped something hard. A rock?

 

[Arachne Westwick]

"Ow." Arachne said quietly as the stick knocked against her head.

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Aha! He knew it! The bush was alive. Freddie pulled out the stick, tossing it away. The fallen flowers all around his feet suddenly filled him with guilt. "Sorry, bush," he said. "I hope it didn't hurt." He knelt down, peering between the leaves. Wait. Was that... a person? Oh, Merlin - he just said sorry to a bush. "Helloo? Who's in there? Why are you hiding?"​

 

[Arachne Westwick]

Arachne glanced through the branches and suddenly made eye contact with the boy who had apparently thought the bush was talking. Now it was clear he saw her, and she wished he hadn't. She winced. "Um. Why were you hitting?" She asked him as she had no idea how to answer him.

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Freddie was such an idiot. Obviously bushes didn't talk. He could only hope the girl couldn't see how hard his face was burning. "'Cause," he said. "I dunno. Hiding in a bush is weirder than hitting it." Maybe she was hiding from someone. Aw - if that was true, he was such a jerk. "Looks comfy, though." It didn't. It looked prickly. But he was trying to be nice.

 

[Arachne Westwick]

"Is it?" Arachne asked, honestly curious. To her, hiding seemed less weird, especially when someone else was hitting. "I'm not hiding in a bush, I'm behind it." She said softly. "And I was actually looking at a beetle. It left, though." She said, looking up at the sky where the beetle had flown off to.

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Well... maybe it wasn't. Honestly, Freddie knew it was wrong to hit flowers. He'd just enjoyed imagining they were various parts of Ares. "Oh. Wait," he said. Could he crawl under it, if he flattened himself to the ground? He was going to try. Digging his elbows into the grass, he dragged himself under the tangle of leaves and thorns. It sort of worked, except that he couldn't look up without spiking himself in the back of the head, so he rolled onto his back and slid the rest of the way like this. His feet were still sticking out the other side when his head and shoulders popped out. "It's a booooy!"

 

[Arachne Westwick]

Arachne gasped as the boy started crawling under the rose bush, moving back to make space for him. She blinked when he popped out, staring at him silently. She did not understand what he was doing.

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

She didn't even smile? Aw. Freddie thought it was a good joke. Apart from a stone digging into his back, he was actually quite comfy here, so he stayed where he was, pulling his sweater down a bit where it had ridden up his stomach. "What?" he said, when he noticed her blinking at him. At the same time, he felt something twitch in his hair and swatted at it. "Do I have a bug on me?"