Let the sun rain down on me.

[Samuel Phillips]

It was a beautiful day that day. Samuel Adrian Phillips had no ill feelings about leaving his house and spending the evening watching the sunset on a nearby cliff. Well, it depends on what you would call nearby. The cliff Samuel was making his way to was about an hour's walk away. This would habitually be something that Samuel would avoid, but this evening Samuel didn't mind one bit. The place he had decided to visit that day was one of the few places he could successfully gain inspiration for another painting, or sketch and since it was warm and fairly pleasant, Samuel actually enjoyed the walk he was taking. This was different for him, he would usually be too busy with schoolwork to try and find his muse. However, it was the holidays at the moment and School was the last thing on Samuel's mind. What was on his mind now was how amazing it felt for him to actually feel calm and not have to worry about school. He continued to walk on the path he had made as a child, it was still pretty much the same, it was still overgrown with trees that were naturally shaped around the path to give the illusion of a tunnel, a portal to another world maybe? Only Samuel would know. This was a path that he had created himself, he hadn't told anybody about it and it was well hidden. You had to crawl through a lot of bushes to even get to the path. Luckily, he was almost there and he wouldn't have to put up with walking in the creepy silence of nature any longer.

Feeling a smirk appear upon his handsome face as he moved the tree branches around him, Samuel was pleased that he couldn't see anybody else. He exhaled as he stepped out of the secret pathway and into the seemingly everlasting orange of the sunset. It was beautiful, he had to admit. Samuel loved it, he loved being in the bright red light of the hot, fiery sun. It made him feel almost alike to the emotion the sun embodied. He missed that feeling, the feeling of total and utter passion, the feeling that made him able to actually express himself in a form of art. That was why it felt so relieving and familiar when he felt that feeling of inspiration again. That was what he had been trying to do all along. If he didn't try to gain inspiration, he wouldn't be an artist would he? Samuel was glad he was wearing his ray bans that evening, they suited his pale face. The sun was bright during the day but it was nothing compared to what it was like at sunset, it seemed even brighter, which a normal person would think was impossible, but Samuel didn't. He thought it was normal. The sky was transitioning into night, it made sense for the sun to be brighter as it left the sky, didn't it? Samuel walked over to the tree that he had always sat against when he was a kid and he characteristically sat against it.

The place he was sitting was perfect, it was facing the sun and he got the full view of the horizon he wanted. He was facing the edge of the cliff, below was the ocean, if he fell he would be doomed. He wasn't scared. He wasn't the close enough to the edge to fall. It was then, at that moment, when Samuel heard a twig snap, it came from his pathway. Was somebody following him? Samuel pretended to ignore the noise. He wasn't frightened or anything. He was just feeling a little irritated, he didn't want to be disturbed. He had travelled home for the holidays and he wanted to make the most of it. Having somebody disturb him was the last thing he wanted, he was however, being cautious. He had pulled his wand out of his pocket, just in the slight possibility he might need it. Samuel continued to look out at the horizon, it seemed practical to pretend like he didn't notice the noise, he felt as if it wouldn't raise any suspicions of why he was there.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Relishing the relative freedom of the Brightstone weekend, Elspeth rose earlier than anyone, taking
care not to disturb her sleeping room mates as she stealthily crept out of the Ravenclaw dorms.
Lately they had become irritating, asking personal questions and probing into her life, trying to
engage her in meaningless conversation. If one woke now, and dared to ask where she was going
and why, Elspeth probably would have hexed her, simply for slowing her escape. Hogwarts, usually
a haven for the slight girl, had become confining. She found herself wandering the grounds, trying
to avoid the crowded, noisy corridors, and the pitying looks on her house mates faces. She heard
them, whispering in the corridor, pointing her out. She would have been surprised if they hadn't, but
weren't there more interesting things to gossip about than the girl whose family kept dying? No
matter her determination to be out of the castle as soon as possible, it seemed everyone wanted to
have a 'quick word' with Elspeth before she left, and after a meager breakfast and hearty lunch, it
was closer to evening before she finally began down the path to Brightstone

Pausing for a brief moment just outside Hogwarts, she considered her options. She could go down
to Brightstone, which now seemed just seemed just as confining as the school currently looming in
the distance. She knew the students weren't really allowed to leave the town, but if she never
arrived, well, she couldn't really leave it, could she? Smirking to herself at the Slytherin-esque
thought, she left the path, forging into the thick bush that surrounded the path without hesitation.
She didn't really care if her hair or nails were ruined by tree branches, or if her clothes ripped. It
wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone. She spotted movement through the bushes up ahead,
and curiosity immediately overcame good sense. This was the reason the sorting hat had put her in
Ravenclaw, she was sure. The burning need to discover all the facts, every tiny detail. Usually she
would push the need to discover to the back of her mind, but the feeling of being free of the
enclosing walls of the castle had made her reckless. She turned, so her path was parallel to the
figure's, and began trekking with a purpose, instead of wandering aimlessly like before. The figure
kept up a swift pace, considering the effort it took to walk through the tangle of branches, and
Elspeth soon found herself tiring. She had caught enough glimpses of the shape to know he was
male, and quite attractive at that. If he doesn't stop soon, I'll give up, she promised herself after
nearly breaking her ankle in a hollow log, but she knew she wouldn't. Her inquisitiveness
outweighed her common sense, and she would no sooner have been able to stop than to survive
Avada Kedavra.

After walking so long her lungs felt they were on fire, and her curiosity had reached fever pitch, she
finally saw him stop walking. She stumbled to a halt on the very edge of the forest, concealed by
the abundant greenery. Even if the boy in front of her looked around, she would be invisible, hidden
in the shadows. Knowing she was safe from prying eyes, she allowed hers to roam over her
surroundings. The view was amazing, with the sky lit up in amazing swirls of colour, all
complementing each other perfectly. She could see why the figure in front of her had come all this
way. Her head tilted slightly, studying him appreciatively. He looked a few years older than her, and
even from the back he was handsome enough to make her feel shockingly self conscious about her
messy hair and disheveled clothing. She straightened her shirt nervously, and ran her fingers
through her hair before stepping towards him. A twig snapped under her foot, shockingly loud in the
silence, and she froze a moment in surprise, before shaking her head ruefully and continuing forward.
Smothering any self-consciousness, she threw herself onto the ground a few meters away from him,
and grinned. He was close enough to talk with easily, but far away enough to avoid appearing
threatening, unlikely as it seemed.​

 

[Samuel Phillips]

The sunset was still beautiful, Samuel still loved how calming it was to finally be alone. Being at his school was stressful enough, with the way that people just randomly talked to him. He wanted to stay alone, not be interrupted by somebody wanting top start up a meaningless conversation. So that's why when Samuel felt another presence next to him he didn't turn to look. He knew somebody was there, he had grown to sense these sorts of things in his lifetime. Mostly because he had always wanted to be alone and he had gotten so used to people randomly talking to him it was like he knew exactly what was around him. Which frankly, he liked. The thought of knowing exactly what was going on around him made him feel powerful. The downside of knowing was that he could obviously know when somebody was going to talk to him and show the fake exterior that most people he had met showed. That's why Samuel didn't even say a word. He wanted to sense more about the stranger. Before uttering any form of word. He listened intently and noticed it was a girl, due to her breathing, it was so delicate and feminine but it showed a little fatigue. Samuel guessed that it was a person who was responsible for breaking the twig before. Samuel thought the her breathing, no matter how quiet it was, sounded somehow poetic, even though she hadn't uttered a single word. This was a weird feeling for him, Samuel frowned underneath his sunglasses. "What is it you want?" he asked impatiently not caring if he sounded rude or not, he wanted to know why she was there so he could understand why she was even near him. He hadn't shown any obvious signs of wanting to talk to anybody so he had no possible understanding of why she had even bothered to be next to him it boosted his ego, as he assumed she might think he was good looking.

Samuel exhaled as he finally decided to look at the girl, he turned his head to see her lying down next to him. She wasn't close to him but she wasn't far away from him either. Samuel thought she looked a little disturbed and he had to admit, he thought she looked cute too. He wasn't about to voice his opinion, as a matter of fact, he wasn't about to say any more to her. He had nothing to say to her and he assumed she had nothing to say to him. Samuel didn't recognise her so he didn't think she was from his school. He wanted to be careful about having his wand in his hand, in case she was a Muggle, however, Samuel didn't think she was. She had this strange aura about her, even he couldn't explain it. It was starting to frustrate him, this unknown girl was casually lying next to him like he wanted to be talked to and there was something about her that he couldn't even begin to decipher. He knew this wouldn't have happened if he didn't leave the safety of his house that day. Even though he wanted her to leave, he didn't show it, she was cute girl and having a little flirt wouldn't hurt, would it? Samuel made an effort not to show his frustration and hid it with a curious smirk in her direction. He felt as though he had succeeded but he still wasn't sure, although all his attempts to flirt with cute girls had been successful in the past. What would stop it succeeding now? Samuel looked back to the sunset, pleased with himself. He would have to wait for the girl's reaction but he didn't mind. He had other things to fill the silence between them. Like letting out a fatigued sigh and looking at his feet, In which he did. Samuel was still frustrated at the girl fro interrupting his peaceful moment alone but he had something else to do instead, and that was to kill his time with some harmless flirting. Samuel wouldn't think that the girl would see him as creepy, he assumed the girl would see him as he saw her, and that was cute, maybe even hot. Samuel rested his head against the tree as he soaked in the warmth of the suns rays against his pale skin.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth decided she wouldn't talk as she gazed at the boy. He looked deep in thought, and she knew
that she hated it when one of her nosy, inquisitive housemates asked an inane question or tried to
initiate a pointless conversation. The young Ravenclaw closed her eyes, feeling the setting sun
warming her face. Finally, she felt at peace, without the claustrophobic feeling that had been
hounding her, and she was determined to make the most of it. She was startled back to reality when
the boy opposite her spoke. Her eyes snapped open, but oddly, she wasn't angry. If one of her room
mates had dared disturb her, she would have been hiding fury behind stony glares and caustic
comments. This handsome boy was apparently exempt. Even though his words were abrupt and
aggressive, she wasn't offended. She wondered idly why he was so curt, as she tried to decide what
to say. If she responded in kind, he might get mad and leave, and after spending however long
following him, she wasn't going to allow that. She was going to get a conversation at the very least.
Too friendly, and he might leave, creeped out, so that was out. It occurred to her that she never got
this timid in front of anyone else, usually quite the opposite in fact. She had been described as
outspoken by some, because she was unafraid to speak her mind. Now, however, she was second
guessing everything, and the conversation hadn't even started!

After what felt like years, but in reality was only a few seconds, she replied. Her voice was soft and
playful as she spoke, taking the harsh edge off her words. "And hello to you too." The young witch
sat up and grinned at him. She was acting strangely; more friendly, more open, but right now she
couldn't bring herself to care. Her smile was an infectious, inviting, ear-to-ear grin, and she realised
this was the first time she had smiled properly in months. She leaned back slightly, letting her gaze
slip upwards to the riot of colour above her. Keeping from gawking like an idiot was hard, and she
figured averting her eyes was the best way to retain her dignity. He hadn't looked at her yet, and she
risked a glance in his direction, just as he flashed a brilliant smirk in her direction. She felt her
cheeks heat, but she feigned unconcern, curving her lips into an inviting smile. She knew she was
attractive, and apparently he knew it too. That smirk was obvious flirting, unless she was
completely misreading his actions. He only looked a year or two older than her, and loads of other
girls dated older guys! Realising her thoughts, she refrained from shaking her head to dispel them.
She had met this boy a few minutes ago, had exchanged a grand total of ten words with him – she
didn't even know his name! - and she was already wondering what it would be like to date him! She
shook her head ruefully, before looking back and waiting for his answer.​

 

[Samuel Phillips]

The waiting for the girls reply had Samuel starting to feel bored with her. She was just staying silent and not saying a single word to him. He didn't second-guess what he had said, he had been straight to the point and completely blunt. It had always annoyed him how other people seemed to be subtle with everything they did, assessing what the other person's reaction might be before they even got close to the point. Not Samuel however, he would talk about what needed to be talked about and not waste any time with some silly and pointless banter that would get nowhere. He didn't care about the reaction that he might get because if somebody didn't like how he acted, they could just not talk to him at all. It was a simple way of doing things and that was the way Samuel preferred. So when he decided not to talk until the girl talked back to him he knew it was the right decision. Being subtle was a way of showing weakness and insecurity about what others think of you, Samuel had nothing to be insecure about, he was young and had a purpose. That was all he needed. Samuel took off his sunglasses and placed them on the ground, the area that was between himself and the girl. As to show that he didn't want her going any closer just yet. Samuel sighed again, showing how bored he was with the fact that the girl wouldn't reply to him yet, even if it had only been a short while, only a mere few seconds. He was young and like a lot of young people, he was impatient. He wanted her to hurry up and say something so he had something to do with his precious time instead of looking aimlessly into the distance. The view was nice, but it wasn't enough to distract him from how bored he had become. Luckily, Samuel's boredom was enough to make him ignore the fact that the girl had followed him and found the place that he had used as a place to get away and be alone. If he weren't so bored, he would be irritated and want to be rude to the girl. Samuel wouldn't show this, he would hide it behind a mask. Which he was doing now. As per usual for him.

After the girl had finally spoken, in a soft and slightly harsh way that made Samuel a little less bored with her, and a little more intrigued. Samuel let out a quiet chuckle, it was quiet enough that she might not have been able to hear it and if she did, it wouldn't make much of an impact. "Hello to me indeed." Samuel stated, trying to make himself seem mysterious to the girl so she wouldn't become bored with him like he was quickly becoming bored with her. She was cute, but most cute girls had no personality and relied on their looks to get them ahead and that was what Samuel expected this girl to be like. Even if she did seem interesting enough to keep the conversation going. Samuel needed to do something, say something to make the social situation between the both of them interesting to him. He needed to ask her another question, one that would make him be able to find out more about her without him revealing too much about himself. He turned to her again and smiled, "You went through the trees to get here didn't you. I can tell by the way your hair is messed up." Samuel said implying something more by his tone of voice, managing not to sound rude, which was unusual for him, usually the stuff he did say sounded rude to him. That time it didn't, for some reason. It didn't have much of an effect on him. He looked back into the distance and continued to smile, he expected the girl to take what seemed like a long time, to comment on his last two statements. Samuel did however, in his attempt to try and kill the time before she said something else again, put his wand back into his pocket. The girl didn't seem threatening at all and Samuel could defend himself against her if it was needed, which it most definitely didn't seeing as he had make a small effort to flirt with her. He was pretty sure that he didn't sound creepy but he wouldn't be completely sure of that until he knew her reaction, even if she did see him as creepy, he wouldn't be able to care less.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

The boy's deliberately arrogant reply made Elspeth smirk. She could tell he was getting impatient
with the long silences, but she wasn't going to break them when she was having such fun watching
him gradually grow more and more uncomfortable. Realising how sadistic that thought sounded,
her brow furrowed momentarily. She wasn't changed that much by her past, was she? Where was
the cute, innocent little girl she had been, always whingeing about her mother, or feeling guilty for
skipping class? When had she changed so drastically, and, more importantly, why hadn't anyone
cared enough to notice? Her smile returned, but now it was bitter and angry. No one cared because
she had shoved them all away. All her room mates woud ask how she was, if she wanted to talk, but
Elspeth knew they didn't really care, that they were only saying that because they had to. She also
found it annoying as hell whe people kept bringing it up. She had gotten used to the whispering and
pointing fairly quickly, but the continual questions, months after the incident just irritated her.

At his next words, she chuckled softly under her breath. “Yes, I did.” She replied, her amused tone
insinuating more. They fell back into an enveloping silence, which lasted for several minutes.
Elspeth had completely given up on staring at the sky. Sunsets were nice, but they got boring
quickly, and she was never much of a nature girl anyway. Instead, she found herself gazing
surrupticiously at the back of the boys head. She'd only caught a glimpse of his face, before he had
turned back around, but she liked what she saw. She'd seen a few part-Veelas around the halls of
Hogwarts – Sia was one one, and so was Professor Lowe – and this young man looked handsome
enough to qualify, though she could be imagining it. After all, she'd only seen him for a moment.
“I'm Elspeth.” The words tripped off her tongue before she even realised she was talking, and she
blushed. How had she got so distracted by his looks? At least she hadn't said something truly
embarrassing. And now she might learn his name, if he bothered to reply to someone as nosy as her.
She fiddled with her sleeves, wishing he'd hurry up and answer, instead of making it so awkward.
Wryly, she realised this was just what she had done to him, and the tables had been neatly turned.
She didn't appreciate the irony.​

 

[Samuel Phillips]

There was nothing to do on that cliff, nothing to do except stare at the sunset to fill the annoying silence that the girl was causing. Samuel was bored and annoyed at her for taking so long to reply and making herself look even dumber than he had already assumed she was. He wanted her to reply as quickly as he did, when she talked he didn't feel as bored. Mainly because he had something to do besides feel annoyed with somebody he didn't know. Feeling bored with a stranger wasn't unusual for Samuel but it did irritate him when they took ages to reply. Samuel had ignored her previous statement about how she had made her way through the trees to get to where he was. He didn't see any point at all in saying something back to her on that subject. She had only said one tiny sentence and she didn't ask him anything so why should he bother to reply? She did imply more but he was too bored to do anything else really. Although when she stated her name, Samuel felt a sense of refreshment. Finally he thought. Maybe the conversation was actually going somewhere instead of nowhere with the idiot vibe that Elspeth seemed to be radiating. Samuel didn't show how annoyed he was by Elspeth, mush like he did with all of his feelings, it was something he was used to and now wasn't an exception. "Samuel." He stated, not looking at Elspeth at all. He didn't care if he was being rude or if he was being cold. He didn't need to impress anybody, especially a girl that was as annoying as Elspeth was. However, Samuel did look back at her with a raised eyebrow and stated, "Your name suits your personality." One might say he was being rude, if they could read his thoughts. But Elspeth couldn't and even if she could. He couldn't have cared less.

Wanting to continue the conversation so he wouldn't get any more bored than he was which seemed impossible, Samuel didn't turn away from Elspeth again. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't looking at her that was making her take so long to reply. He didn't think it was but it could never hurt to try. He was facing her now, he was sitting and she was lying in the grass. It would be simple and easy to just tell her how annoying he thought she was and be done with the conversation, but Samuel wasn't afraid of a challenge, and with the added bonus of killing time by practising his flirting skills with a girl that seemed as ignorant and gullible as Elspeth, Samuel just couldn't help himself. "I think you might be trying to avoid me, Elspeth." Samuel stated, acting more playfully than he felt. He was acting like he was energetic but he couldn't have been more bored. Samuel picked up the ray bans he had placed on the grass a few minuted earlier and put them back on. He was being so unusual, for him at least. He was pretending like he was enthusiastic about the conversation between Elspeth and himself but he really just wanted her to hurry up and actually start talking to him instead of making herself out to be this dumb, annoying girl that looked disturbed. He hadn't met anybody like that in his lifetime and he did have some sort of reason to talk to her, flirting and having an excuse to go home once it was dark, that was if Elspeth was going to stay until dark. He couldn't really think of anything more to say to her, so naturally, Samuel ran his hand through his hair and smirked at her again, maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't. Samuel just wanted to do something that was more interesting than staring at the sunset, which was more boring than one would imagine.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth's brow furrowed when he commented on her name. What was that supposed to mean?
She gave up trying to figure out what he was talking about after a few confused seconds, and
instead focused on the conversation, or lack of it. "Hey Samuel." Elspeth knew this conversation
was going nowhere, and though it had been funny at first, now it was just frustrating. However,
hiding her annoyance, she replied to his joking, almost flirty comment with a playful tone of voice
akin to his own. "And why would you think that?" The young girl had to resist the urge to roll her
eyes at this pointless conversation. She had, on the spur of the moment, decided to have some
normal, healthy human interaction, and now found that she was bored out of her wits by it! That
probably said something about her mental health, but Elspeth ignored that nagging thought. It was
this boy Samuel's fault. Sure, mysteriousness was cool, but not when it killed a conversation like this.

When Samuel smirked at her, she felt herself blush, and she forgot how much this conversation had
been boring her. "Are you part-Veela or something?" she blurted out, not realising she was speaking
until far too late. Her face turned crimson, and she wanted to sink into the ground. What the hell had
she been thinking? Why had she asked that? "Sorry," she muttered, mortified, "I didn't mean to say
that." She took a calming breath and tried to avoid looking at his face. What was it about him that made
her act like such an idiot? She wasn't this socially inept most of the time, but then again, it had been a
long time since she'd had a proper conversation with another human being. She knew such isolation
wasn't healthy, but she honestly couldn't stand the mindless prattle her peers spewed, worried about
insignificant things that Elspeth didn't care about one bit.​

 

[Samuel Phillips]

The sun had almost completely disappeared, now it was the sickening time before the day turned into the night, it was twilight. Just thew thought of twilight made Samuel feel ill, why does there have to be a transition between daytime and nighttime? Why cant there just be day and night? Samuel thought while he looked out at the ocean, he was distracted by what was around him, sure, he was now facing Elspeth, one might say he was making an effort to talk to her but he didn't think so. That was why when Elspeth said his name he instictively looked back at her. He listened to her talk, Samuel was being polite but with the way the conversation was going, this polite act Samuel was putting on wasn't going to continue for much longer. "You're a witch aren't you." Samuel said, he was obviously changing the subject, maybe it would make him a little more interested in what Elspeth had to say, sure, she was cute but she didn't have a whole lot to say. Maybe she would be able to change his first impression of her, the way he had been so blunt with his last statement might be able to do so. It just hung on what Elspeth would say back to him.

It was normal for Samuel when girls giggled and blushed around him, he had grown so used to it over the years that he hardly ever noticed it now, it was unusual that he even noticed Elspeth blushing at all. When she asked him if he was Part-Veela, Samuel couldn't hold back his laughter. He held his head back and laughed, he couldn't believe that she would have to ask him at all. "Isn't it obvious?" Samuel managed to say once he had finished laughing. Usually people would assume that he was Part-Veela, he couldn't remember if anybody had asked him before, this was probably because nobody had actually asked him before. "This is a first for me, nobody has asked me that before." Samuel said, now he didn't think it was funny anymore, this was because he felt bored again, but this time it wasn't because of the presence of Elspeth, now he couldn't fully understand why. The sky continued to stay the annoying grey colour Samuel hated so much, he wanted it to be night already so the twilight would be over already.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth laughed at his abrupt subject change. "You'd be in trouble if I wasn't. Lucky for you, I go to
Hogwarts New Zealand. I'm a fourth year 'Claw. I'm assuming that you're either a wizard, or have a
wizarding relative." She was facing him, but looking past him, at the sky. It was growing dark, and
she knew she should leave soon. Although she despised returning to school, especially after being
granted such a small window of freedom, she didn't want a detention. A thought occurred to her that
made her regret so foolishly wandering into the woods. She didn't know the way back. She could
have used a Point Me spell, but that would only work if she knew what general direction Hogwarts
was in. Hopefully Samuel here would show her the way, because Elspeth was stuck.

She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "No, it's not particularly obvious. And stop laughing, I don't
even know why I asked." She shuffled closer to him and hit his arm lightly, a friendly act that she
wouldn't usually consider, especially with someone she'd only known a few minutes, if that. "Are
you or not? Stop being so annoyingly vague!" She laughed, but his next words were said completely
differently. It wasn't so much the words, but the tone that told her he was bored of this conversation.
Knowing how tiresome it can be when people kept talking long after you wish they'd left, she sought
for a way to end the conversation. "I'd better be going... School, and all that." Distaste was clear in
her voice as she said 'school'. She stood up, and looked towards the forest. She could follow the path
and find her way back from wherever that deposited her, she thought uncertainly, trying not to let
Samuel see how lost she was going to be in a few minutes.​

 

[Samuel Phillips]

Now that Elspeth had confirmed she wasn't a muggle and had revealed which Wizarding school she was attending, Samuel had no need to say anything more. The Part-Veela just lingered where he was, taking in the ambiance around him. If Samuel had wanted to say anything, he would have but now wasn't the time to continue a topic of conversation where it wasn't needed. Elspeth might assume that he was being rude, Samuel thought otherwise. He thought he was being polite in the sense of keeping a safe detachment from Elspeth, it would be a burden on the both of them if he said anything more. In keeping with this idea, Samuel nodded in Elspeth's direction. She was looking past him, into the distance, he concluded that she wouldn't have noticed this gesture at all. The gentle breeze around the two persisted in messing up Samuel's previously cleanly styled hair, it was highly noticeable for him but Elspeth wouldn't notice, would she? He didn't think so, she seemed to be a little too busy focusing her attention on the spacious distance behind him.

It was Elspeth's next gesture that snapped Samuel back into reality. Annoyingly Vague, Really? Samuel thought, if anybody was being annoying in this conversation, Samuel would have to concur it was Elspeth, she was the one that was making him bored of this social situation. It was in his best interests that he didn't make this known to her, she had been tolerant of him so far at the very least. In reaction to this, Samuel made the decision to react casually. "Of course I am." He responded before He chuckling and forcing a smile, something he had done every day for as long as he could remember, he had no reason to genuinely smile and nobody would become suspicious if he smiled regularly, so why not fake it? Samuel had a gut feeling Elspeth would be able to see through this, if she could, it would make for a more interesting conversation at a later date. That was if they did see each other again. He wouldn't admit it to himself just yet, but Samuel did want to see Elspeth again sometime, even if it was for just a petite moment.

The unwell feeling Samuel had earlier had departed now, this was due to the fact that the sky was a lot murkier now and it was closer to night than Samuel could ever have hoped for. He wasn't surprised when Elspeth stood up and made dim excuses to leave the cliff top. It was a relief and a burden simultaneously, now Samuel could be alone, which was what he had intended from the start, but he would also have to direct Elspeth to where she needed to go. This spot on the Cliff top was remote, the only way Samuel was able to get there at all was with the path he had forged as a child. Samuel looked up at the now standing Elspeth and raised an eye brow. She would be furtively expecting for him to help her on her way. Samuel stood up and dusted himself off, "I guess you want to know the direction in which your school is." Samuel said, while he rolled the sleeves of his jacket to his elbows. He nodded at the entranceway to the path, "You go down the path and continue to the left at the fallen tree. Is that simple enough?" He said to Elspeth, now he just had to wait for her answer.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth nodded sheepishly. "Down the path, continue to the left at the fallen tree. Yes, I'll be fine with that." she concluded, grinning at the handsome boy. "Maybe I'll write you." She waved cheerily and turned, taking a few steps into the murky darkness of the forest, but stopping suddenly and running back. "Wand." She explained, bending over and picking it off the ground and waving it in explanation. She knew her cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment, but hoped it was dark enough that Samuel didn't notice. She supposed she was just lucky it hadn't decided to shoot off sparks when she waved it, as it would be just her luck.

Noticing he'd stood up, Elspeth paused. "Are you leaving too?" She asked, part of her hoping he'd offer to walk her back. The Ravenclaw took a final look around the space, checking she hadn't left anything else. The sun had completely set now, and she had to narrow her eyes slightly to make out shapes. Nodding in satisfaction, she turned and set off into the forest again. If Samuel followed, she would be happy, but waiting for him could mean a detention, and no matter how little Elspeth cared about schooling, she didn't to be scraping first years congealed messes out of cauldrons. "Coming?" She called over her shoulder, not breaking stride.​

 

[Samuel Phillips]

Politely smiling at Elspeth as she repeated his simple directions on how to safely leave the cliff top, Samuel was furtively contemplating she simple decision if he should walk Elspeth back or not. Leaving her to find her own way back with absent daylight would be a bad thing for the both of them. The forest was hard to navigate through, even in the middle of the day. Noticing Elspeth's outline start to walk into the forest and walk back towards him to retrieve her wand, Samuel remembered his sunglasses. He didn't care about his sunglasses very much, that was if he cared at all. Still, out of responsibility, he picked them up and put them into the inside pocket of his jacket, he wouldn't be needing them any time soon, obviously. "Yes, actually." Samuel answered, "I guess you're expecting me to walk you to your destination now." He stated, with a casual grin while looking the shadowed silhouette of Elspeth up and down. It was too dark for her to notice.

The adolescent snapped back into what he regretted to say was reality when he heard Elspeth speak, if he didn't know any better, he would say that Elspeth was growing on him. Samuel answered with a short sentence "Of course." and continued to walk towards her. He kept his distance from Elspeth as they walked, his eyes had now adjusted to the darkness and he could see a lot better now. This development was fortunate for the sixteen year old, now he could guide Elspeth better, or not. He had the opportunity to send her in the wrong direction, a sinister thought for Samuel, and he had half a mind telling him they should both get lost, by the fault of himself and spend more time together. "You're not cold are you?" Samuel queried, with a hint of concern to his voice. It was something Samuel was going to use to distract himself from doing the wrong thing, making small talk to find the lighter side of a situation like this.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the fallen tree, which was much more decomposed than Samuel remembered, it might have been the darkness that made him think so, or it might have been the amount of time he had spent away from home while attending the school he despised so much. Samuel paused at the fallen tree, now all they needed to do was travel left from here and Elspeth would be on the road that led to her school. He gently clutched Elspeth's wrist and turned to face her "It gets pretty rugged after here, you're going to have to stay really close to me so you don't get lost. Okay?" Said the Part-Veela, ignoring how insanely corny that sounded. He let out a barely audible chuckle and stood in the darkness, waiting for Elspeth's reaction. If she wasn't okay with that, it would be her own fault if she got lost, Samuel wouldn't be to blame.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth was quietly relieved when Samuel chose to accompany her, but kept this to herself. If he had stayed, she was sure she would have been lost within a few metres of the cliff. She had usually been good at thinking before she did something incredibly stupid, but today she had let her curiosity get the better of her sense, and now she was walking through a rapidly darkening forest with a boy who she knew almost nothing about. When he spoke, she decided to let it go. If he was just acting nice, he was doing a good job of it, and there wasn't much she could do about it. She hadn't noticed the chill that had descended when the sun sank below the horizon, but now that she thought about it, she realised her skin was goose-pimpled with cold. "Just a bit." She muttered, hugging her body to retain some warmth.

Noticing Samuel had stopped, Elspeth looked around to try to pinpoint a potential landmark the older boy had spotted. Her eyes flitted over the fallen tree several times before recognising it for what it was, and she was even more glad Samuel had come with her; who knew how lost she would be by now otherwise? She felt his hand on her wrist, and nodded at his next words, secretly glad it was dark enough that the contact was needed. "Okay." She waited patiently for Samuel to start walking again, accepting she was completely dependant on him to get back to school. Her eyes, though partially adjusted to the darkness, could barely make out a distinguishing landmark, and all the trees looked the same to her.​

 

[Samuel Phillips]

It was when Elspeth said she was cold that Samuel felt the sweet feeling of sympathy, he wasn't cold, he was expected it to get colder as the sun descended and the sky turned to night. Didn't Elspeth expect the same? thought the adolescent before he responded in kind "You can borrow my jacket then." He took off his black jacket, ignoring the placid chill of the darkness that touched his skin and handed it to the young girl. It was a beautiful night, a clear one, the stars weren't out just yet but it was dark enough for Samuel to feel somewhat comfortable in the lack of sunlight. He then went on to say "You're welcome." Before she had the chance to answer, he was being a gentleman, a rare occurrence for Samuel and now that he was acting remotely polite, quite polite indeed, he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Samuel felt a shiver up his spine from a bitter breeze that had just arrived, he ignored it, Elspeth had his jacket now and he wasn't going to take it back, not until they parted ways that is.

Elspeth's agreement to stay close to Samuel was a catalyst for his next actions, believe it or not, the Part-Veela wanted to spend just a little more time with the eye-catching Elspeth before they had to say their goodbyes, although he had an instinct that told him Elspeth wanted the opposite. This brought him to lean against the fallen tree, his hand still clasped around her wrist ever so tenderly. He ran his other hand through his soft brown hair and looked in the direction of where he would lead her before they had to say goodbye. Samuel waited a moment or two before he stood up again and walked towards the road that would leave Elspeth back to her school. He casually strolled through the harsh forest, he knew exactly where he was going. As Samuel drew closer to the road, the lights made it easier for him to see where he was walking to. When Samuel exited the thickness of the woods into a deserted road, which he knew lead to The school in which Elspeth attended, he turned around to face her and said, "Here we are Elspeth." The next thing the sixteen year old would expect was for Elspeth to just say thank you and leave, nothing more.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Gratefully, Elspeth took the proffered jacket, shrugging it on quickly. The residual heat quickly warmed her frozen arms, and her shivering subsided gradually. "Thanks," she mumbled at the same moment he brushed away any expression of gratitude. They tramped through the dark forest for a few more minutes in silence, and the young Ravenclaw found it much easier to navigate the pitfalls of the spooky forest with Samuel's hand on her wrist. Though she was beginning to tire, and her legs ached from walking for so long, and trying to keep up with Samuel's longer legs, she found herself wishing she could somehow delay their return. Though she took a while to warm up to him, Samuel had been exceedingly polite to her, and the handsomeness granted by his part-Veela blood was something Elspeth definitely appreciated.

Samuel stopped, and Elspeth watched as he ran a hand through his hair, one part of her mind asking why he had paused, the other telling her to make the most of it. As she was about to speak, he began to move forward again, and her chance was lost. They continued onwards, at a slower, more leisurely pace. Gradually, she began to see the lights from Brightstone ahead of them, and the forest thinning around them. Suddenly her feet were not stepping on fallen leaves and branches, but the packed dirt of the road. "Thanks for walking me back." She looked down at their joined hands, making no move to pull her hand away. "Hey," she said to get Samuel's attention again. "I'll owl you." She reluctantly stepped back, letting her hand fall to her side, then smiled at him and turned towards the giant silhouette of the castle looming over them.​

 

[Samuel Phillips]

Now was the time for Samuel and Elspeth to part ways, now Samuel could spend the rest of his night alone in the darkness of his empty home. He was surprised that his parents had left him home alone ye again, especially at night. Samuel was relieved with their ignorance, surely he would vandalise something tonight, without trying and they would continue to do nothing about it. "You can keep the jacket, I have more of them anyway, and I will owl you back." Samuel said to Elspeth, before he waved her goodbye and waited for her to stroll up the road and leave him to navigate his way home. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, he wasn't going to complain about it one bit. He didn't show a speck of irritation that he now had no jacket to keep him warm and he had to walk his way home. A positive attribute of leading Elspeth to the road was he could now walk home without getting lost within the trees he had just exited, now he could use the safer and easier way of getting home. Samuel waved at Elspeth, keeping his brown eyes lingering on her for a moment before he finally started travelling home to get an ounce of rest before another gruelling day started.

Out of Character:

Sorry it's so crap.