Closed It's not fine and It's not cool

[Mania Athanasiou]

*Prefect due to catch them later on dw dw

There was a small amount of newly found appreciation for the sport of Quidditch that had awoken in Mania, well more like just appreciation for the gameplay of a beater. There was something fun about hitting that bludger at people. However what Nia could not believe was the amount of times she'd been targeted during that game of beat a bludger. It was horrendous. Criminal even! Although a small part of her reveled in the fact that she was worth a lot of attention there at least, but one in particular had gotten onto her nerves more so than the others.

Stopping right in front of the boy that might have only targeted her twice during the game but he had done other things to piss her off. Such as blow that stupid kiss. First of all EW. Second of all GAG. "What in the name of Merlin was that about?" She asked planting both her hands on her hips and peering up at the third year. The fact that he was a good many inches taller than her did little to chill the fire of rage blazing within her. Felix was so annoying with that stupid little smirk and stupid little kiss he'd blow her way. Seriously, boys.

 

[Felix Layton]

Even though they hadn't won, Felix had had fun at the game in the skies only because he enjoyed Quidditch and it was nice to incorporate the sport into another activity. Had he been purposely aiming toward a certain Gryffindor when it was his time to hit the bludger? Perhaps, but only because her response had been so entertaining. Blowing Mania a kiss had just been the icing on the cake, her rage fueling a fire he didn't even know he'd ignited.

"You'll have to be more specific," Felix smirked, glancing down at the brunette as they'd broken away from the rest of the group. They were now wandering on the outskirts of the trees, and while Felix had wanted to go back up to the castle to take a shower after their game, he didn't mind too mind that Nia seemed to be cornering him.

 

[Mania Athanasiou]

Mania narrowed her eyes even further, she was pretty sure they were a little more than slits on her face at this point. As they kept walking Felix had turned around kind of walking backwards while she was walking towards him and not even noticing she was steering them towards the forbidden forest, not that it would have mattered. She'd gladly go in there anyways. His answer made her huff out an annoyed breath and Nia was this close of just stopping and stomping her foot on the ground, but that would have not helped the case of her looking like an angry toddler at this point.

Pointing a finger and poking the boys chest with it she began being a bit more specific. "You," Poke. "Were," Poke. "Targeting," Poke. "Me." She kept walking glaring up at the boy. "Like most of your bludgers were aimed at me!?" She stated the obvious, the blasphemy that had been. "AND THEN YOU BLEW ME A KISS." She poked his chest again, to make her annoyance clearer. She may or may not have pretended to catchit and land it on her behind in retaliation, but he'd started it.

GM approved

 

[Felix Layton]

Felix was lightly chuckling as Mania continued to back him up, jabbing at his already bruised body to make her point. "So what if I was?" he asked, a smug smile on his lips. It hadn't been his intention at first, but every time the bludger had gone in her direction, her reaction had been entertaining enough that she had become his sole target. "Seemed only fair to blow you a kiss after all those attacks," he grinned, grabbing her hand as she tried to poke him in the chest again. The whole thing had only been a bit of fun, he found it easy to tease Nia although he couldn't really put his finger on why. He'd look out for her too of course, if he found her crying or being teased by someone that wasn't him, well he wasn't going to stand there and do nothing. She was his cousins best friend, he felt an air of protection over her as he did others in his family.

The blond was sure he'd annoyed Nia, there was no doubt about it. But it was a little funny to see just how much of a rage she got herself into, when he had to do very little on his part to initiate it. "Alright Chatty B," he began, "I'd say I'd stop but I think you just won yourself the prize of being my target, for every game," his smile only grew wider at the prospect of her knowing that for any other club game, it wouldn't just be Heta vs Brotherhood, it would be Layton vs Athanasiou.

 

[Mania Athanasiou]

Mania rolled her eyes, huffing in annoyance yet again. She had to get that energy out somehow and huffing seemed to do the job. He was so arrogant, so smug it was truly annoying. She didn't even know why she was letting him ruffle her feathers like this, it wasn't like she didn't try to ignore him most of the time but he had a way of pushing her buttons whether she wanted it or not. When he grabbed her hand Nia's eyes shot down to their hands and she tried to pull her hand out, narrowing her eyes yet again with a slight frown. "Right, I thank you for the generous kiss. She does too." She mumbled gesturing with her hand to where she'd landed the kiss.

Her hazel eyes flew up again as Felix called her Chatty B, her nose wrinkling a little bit. The reminder that he saw her as a chatter box somehow making her insecure about how much she talked and how loud she was. Her previously narrowed eyes widened and her mouth opened a little at his threat. HE WOULDN'T DARE! "Oh, don't you dare!" She said after she'd gotten over the momentary shock. "I'm not sure you can handle me if you choose to target me." She warned him, if he wanted to go against her she refused to lose.

 

[Felix Layton]

Felix was convinced Nia was flirting with him now. He'd had a fair share of awkward moments with other girls, and while they'd for the most part been successful, it seemed with Nia that they didn't really need to try. He didn't want to think about it too hard, about what it meant or whether he was reading things wrong, so much as whatever tension was between them was at least obvious to the third year. Surely Nia was aware of it too, and doing it on purpose at this point given she'd had every chance to walk away but instead she was thanking him. He wasn't so arrogant he couldn't tell that her thanks was sarcastic, but she had to know where she pushing the attention.

The Gryffindor started chuckling as Chatty B taunted him more. It was cute, that she thought that if it came between them that she would beat him at whatever game they were playing, but unless it was something creative like knit-off, Felix couldn't see that happening. "I think I could handle you better than you think," besides, they wouldn't know if they didn't try.

 

[Mania Athanasiou]

Mania studied Felix, her annoyance seemed to make him very glad and she wasn't sure what to make of it. It made her more annoyed but she felt like if she showed how much he annoyed her she was just playing into his hand in the end. The thanks for the kiss and the silence after made her neck heat up and slowly it went up to her face too, yikies she hadn't thought twice before talking there. Placing her hands on her hips she tilted her head still somewhat glaring up at him.

Oh so he thought he could handle her? Okay sure if they were searching for a snitch he would win and probably in many other things too but there had to be things she could win at and then she got an idea and a slow smile crept onto her face. "Oh? Okay." She said before giving a small pause, looking at his face with a smile. "Prove. It." Her smile turned more innocent and she just bat her eyelashes and poked him again. "What if I don't leave you alone at all? I just keep following you and talking?" She suggested, with the nickname he'd so graciously given her she knew he knew she could talk. She could talk like nobody she'd ever met so it was a valid threat. "You won't hear the end of that, can you handle the constant talking? Surely you'd need a break?" All the while she was walking towards him still. "Don't think I wouldn't do it either, because I will. Talking is somewhat of a passion of mine so I'll chat your ear off, everyday. Can you handle that? Call it a personal podcast, except you cant turn the podcast off or silence it." He could try to shut her up but apart from using spells on her she couldn't see that happening. "So prove it Layton, prove that you can handle me better than I think and shut me up." It was less about actual winning and more about which one of them would give in first. Her getting tired of talking or him getting tired of her talking, she couldn't see the first one happening. She poked him once more and challenging him with her gaze too.

 

[Felix Layton]

Felix didn't really know what to expect. Well, he knew that Nia was likely to not want to stand down or admit defeat, but he didn't know what she'd do when it came to provoking him in return. As things went however, she seemed to think that chatting to him would be what would annoy him most of all. As though he hadn't spent the majority of his life feeling invisible and alone, wanting to connect properly with others. It was laughable that she thought that talking to him too much was going to be the thing that would push him away, as though he didn't enjoy listening to her talk. Chatty B wasn't an insult.

His eyebrows raised as she told him to prove it. Prove that he could handle her and her non stop commentary. The idea that Nia would follow him around chatting away to him all day every day, well she would probably bore of that before he did. Besides, it would probably make up for the last few months when he'd only spoken to her on and off. He continued to walk through the trees, vaguely aware the more they wandered, the more they were out of sight of the students making their way back up to the castle.

He was debating in his head all the different ways he could shut her up. As the third year could still feel the last jab on his chest, he moved to close the distance between them. He was a good few inches taller than her and as she stood with her hands on her hips, Felix couldn't help but find it amusing. "What makes you think I would want to?"

 

[Mania Athanasiou]

Nia had sort of grown used to those around her telling her to shut up most of the time. Her friends at the school never did though, but the insecurity of being too much or her talking pissing others off was always there. It had been ever since she could remember, because her mama always told her to be quiet more or please tone it down, that she was being too much. So naturally Nia was counting on Felix sharing the sentiment and giving up just to ask her to be silent, that he wouldn't want to put up with her constant chatter. However something in the way the third year was looking at her made her reconsider if this was the way to go. She wasn't sure if it turned out he didn't want her to shut up what she would do? Surely he'd get a headache eventually and beg her to be silent.

As he closed the distance between them Nia shifted her weight slightly, not because she was uncomfortable but because she needed something to do. She stared up at him, staying where she was because she refused to be the one to back down. No sir, no thank you. Not sure what she was expecting to hear but that sure wasn't it. She was about to respond something when her brain fully registered what he'd just said. "Wait, so you are saying... you don't or wouldn't mind my chatter?" She asked to clarify, the conflict clear in both her suspicious gaze and voice. Surely he just didn't know what he was saying. If he did he wouldn't say that. She was confused and almost lost for words. "You are saying that now but you'd change your mind after a few days of me just talking nonstop." She reasoned, not sure if it was more to convince Felix or herself of the fact.

 

[Felix Layton]

The way that Mania was looking at him like a deer caught in the headlights, meant he'd definitely won. He'd managed to catch her off guard with one sentence, and while it hadn't been the one he thought it would have been, he was still going to take it as a personal victory. He shook his head at her question, backing up a little to give her some more breathing room. "I doubt it," he told her honestly. He was used to hearing his family members talking often (and loudly, in Ten's case) although rarely ever had the conversation been directed at him. Should someone actually be taking to him, he was all ears. He'd give them all the attention in the world if they looked at him as though he wasn't transparent. Maybe that was why he was so keen on making himself feel seen these days, even if it was only temporary. A burst of attention was better than no attention at all.

Something had shifted in the air suddenly, as it was as though whatever mist had been lingering in the woods with them was clearing. Things felt as though suddenly they were taking a serious turn, the conversation moving toward a topic that Felix had no interest in delving into any depth. "Think it's safe to say I won, B," he looked away finally as though breaking a wire between their focus. She was relentless and competitive, he'd give her that, but he was still confident he'd be able to wipe the floor with her if it ever came to that.

 

[Mania Athanasiou]

Mania was looking at Felix but she wasn't seeing him fully. She was lost in thought what it meant that he had just admitted he wouldn't want to shut her up, had anyone ever outright told her they enjoyed her talking or not to shut up? She wasn't too sure. Of course Finfin liked her around so that had to mean he didn't want her to shut up either. Same with Callie and even Amortentia had listened to her out of her own free will. When Felix said he doubted he'd change his mind everything turned a tad too real for the second year.

As Felix took a step back Nia was secretly glad of it, she needed for something to pop the bubble that had formed around them to realize she'd told him too much. Glancing up at Felix when he said he'd won there was no malice, no glare, apprehension at best in her eyes as she huffed. "Sure thing." Was all she said, he'd won the round but not the war. Though Mania had a creeping suspicion that she'd be going above and beyond to avoid the third year again for a bit. Fidgeting with her hands she realized they'd grown much colder than they usually were and she looked around before making the decision to leave. "Uhm, I think I'm going back to the castle, I'll see you around." The Gryffindor said, though her words came out a bit strangled, before starting to make her way out of the stupid woods they'd wandered off to.

 

[Amortentia Layton]

The only reason Ten wasn't in the greenhouse was because she was currently on patrol. She was put on duty outside, but it could have been worse, she could have been forced to spend the afternoon in the dungeons. Ten was loitering on the lawn when she spotted Nia emerging from the tree line, a frown on the prefects face. Technically she wasn't in there anymore, so she couldn't exactly scold her for it. Then again, it was Nia. Perhaps it was biased to admit, but there were some Gryffindors she'd rather not scold at all if she could help it.

"Nia? Are you okay?" She didn't look as chirpy as usual, in fact if anything she looked a little zoned out. Ten may not have known her too well, but she knew this wasn't her norm. "Mania!" she called out again, heading towards the forest the direction of the younger girl.

 

[Felix Layton]

Felix actually breathed a sigh of relief as Nia turned to leave, letting out a sigh he didn't even know he'd been holding. He took a few steps backward, resting on the tree and closing his eyes as he tried to work out what just happened, and why it made him feel so, pushed away. That was what he wanted though wasn't it? For people not to worry about his absence? So why did it feel like he was falling into the background?

 

[Mania Athanasiou]

Mania was definitely very out of sorts right now, her ears were ringing with alarm bells. She made sure often not to wear her insecurities too clearly, because people would strike those when they saw them. In there she'd laid it out loud and clear, it was almost the same thing had she yelled out to the world "OH hey! I am afraid of being told I am too much!" It was a dumb fear but she hated being made feel like that. Nia snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone call out her name. Looking up her eyes spotted a familiar face and she grimaced, quickly putting on a smile that lacked its usual spark but it was smile never the less. "Oh hey Amortentia! Um, I definitely wasn't in the forest just on my way to the dorms!" She quickly explained walking towards her, scared she was about to be scolded to hell and back by her favourite prefect.

 

[Amortentia Layton]

Ten certainly didn't believe Nia's excuse, but she wasn't about to push it. Just because had a badge on her robes (which frankly she was surprised to be given in the first place) didn't mean she was going to suddenly be Professor Cade's spy or something. She supposed her Head of House was her non-marital father in law now, but even that didn't mean much when it came to Ten's loyalities. She would continue to care about those she wanted to care about, not switch alliances all because of some title. "Who else is in there?" she asked, glancing back toward the forest to see if someone else emerged. Sure maybe Nia was on her own, but she couldn't imagine the second year popping into the forest for some time alone.

 

[Mania Athanasiou]

Mania stared at Ten a little blankly. She was tired after the game and the forest had also taken good chunk of her energy with the sudden switch in the mood giving her whiplash. When Amortentia asked her about who else was in the forest she knew very well her little brother was still left behind there. Nibbling on her lower lip the Gryffindor was a bit conflicted, she wasn't about to tattle on Felix and send the prefect his way but the idea of him alone in the woods was also uncomfortable, because Merlin knew what lurked around there. He wasn't going to get hurt, but still if he did she'd feel like it was her fault for leaving him on his own. "I don't know, I was on my own. Though who know kids go there all the time I guess?" She offered awkwardly, his wasn't her snitching. If Ten decided to go in on her own it was because she didn't believe when Nia said she didn't know who was in there so she wasn't telling anyone anything about anyone or anything.

 

[Amortentia Layton]

It wasn't that Ten didn't believe Nia, so much as she thought there was an underlying meaning there whens she said other kids went in all the time. Did that mean Nia had seen someone else, even though she didn't know who it was? "Thanks, Nia," she told the younger girl, trying to give her a small smile although not particularly wanting to go into the forest herself, she hoped for her own sake she was right. She let the girl go, moving on toward the trees.

It didn't take long for Ten to find someone else in the forest, although she had to admit she was a little disappointed to see it was Felix. "Fi?" She called out, ducking under some low hanging branches and careful not to trip on the roots that threatened to push her to the floor. Wendall wouldn't have been so lucky. "Fi what are you doing out here?" Even if she didn't want to punish her own brother for being in the forest, she couldn't full well leave him in here by himself.

 

[Felix Layton]

Felix's eyes snapped open at the sound of a popping branch, moments before he heard his sister's voice. He knew he'd lose points for being out here, especially if she was the one to catch him, but that didn't mean he had a good explanation for her when she asked what he was doing. "Nothing, I er, just," he wanted to lie to his sister, tell her he was just cooling off after the game, but what was the point? There had been a time when he was nervous to see her around school, fearing the mockery she'd inflict on him next, but the last couple of years their dynamic had changed in a way it had never been before. What reason did he have to lie to Ten anymore, if she had already changed how she treated him? "I don't want to go back to the castle yet." Perhaps it was minimal, but it was still the truth.

 

[Amortentia Layton]

So much for a little brother, he was taller than her these days. The redhead stood beside the boy trying to work out what was going on with him, and whether Nia had seen him in here at all. Had they had a falling out? Honestly Ten hadn't really realised they were that close, then again what did she ever know about Felix's life? She knew she was in the wrong for never bothering to check in on him despite her best efforts to make amends. Maybe this was one of those moments she could start by doing better.

"What's going on?" Ten rolled up her sleeves, tucking strands of her long hair behind her ears and moved to the tree opposite, leaning against it to mirror him. If he was going to get in trouble for being out here, well then so would she.