Long Time No-... Are You Okay?

[Professor Conan Edogawa]

It was a wonderful afternoon for Conan Edogawa as he walked through the castle's first floor corridors along with his new soccer ball. He began kicking it lightly as he walked, not caring if someone would trip on it or something, in fact, he was hoping someone would just for the fun of seeing how idiotic that person would look like. He never really did figure out why out of all the things his aunt and uncle could buy him for a vacation souvenir, it would be a soccer ball. It was certainly annoying, did they think he was still a little kid? He would have been more happy if they bought him something that could actually be useful in the modern world. But no, they had to think that a soccer ball could fix everything in their family. They were wrong, a soccer ball can't help mend the relationship between him and his twin sister.

Unbeknownst to him, out of his kicking the ball he had already reached the courtyard. It was quite a nice place, peaceful most of the time especially during the winter season because of the cold. But not for Conan, he liked the winter cold and he didn't mind sticking around for a while as he got out into the cold, holding his soccer ball under his right arm as he approached a vacant bench. He wiped the snow off the bench before ultimately taking a seat taking the view in. It was a nice view as he continued to look around, searching for familiar faces.

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor was crying. She had run into some earlier and he had said some mean things. Her parents had come into the conversation at some point and so she had run away from the corridor and just come straight here. There was usually no one here so it was easy to cry here. No one saw her here. She continued to cry and cry, she hadn't cried since the day she found out so now she was just letting it out. She should have stayed back at home, she realised that now, but it was too late. Maybe she should go and talk to Professor Kingsley, but she couldn't think of how that was going to help her. Its not like she was going to be able to get Taylor's parents back. There was nothing to be done about any of this. She still just found it hard to believe that it was a fire that killed them. They were magic for heaven's sake, why could they not just simply put the fire out. Would that not make more sense? She sighed. She was never going to understand this. She knew that. She knew that all too well. But, it was just so hard.

Taylor heard a noise and looked up. Conan had just walked in. Taylor was still crying. What was she going to do?! She didn't want him to see her like this. She scrambled to try and stop her tears. She grabbed a tissue out of her pocket and began to dab at her eyes, all the while smudging the small amount of mascara she was suddenly regretting wearing. She had run into his sister earlier this week. Now here was Conan. Still, she did like and was friends with Conan. She much preferred him of his stupid sister. As much as she wished they would get back together, it was something they had to deal with themselves, besides, Ai had made her thoughts quite clear to Taylor. Taylor sobbed a little and shook her head trying to stop the tears. Ugh! This was the worst!
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[Professor Conan Edogawa]

In the midst of looking around, Conan caught sight of a familiar face. Too familiar, in fact. He stood up from where he was sitting and began to walk towards his companion in the Courtyard. Soon enough, he caught sight of the familiar face, it was Taylor! Conan put on a happy grin on his face as he jogged towards her and when he was just a few feet away from her did he notice her tears and her eyes which seemed puffy and red from crying. She was desperately wiping away tears. It seemed that she noticed him first before he did. His jog became a small walk as he approached her quietly, his grin nowhere to be found anymore.

Conan sat beside her, not asking for any permission as he put his hand on her back, stroking it gently and comfortingly. He knew of nothing to say, there was nothing he could say. The young Hufflepuff would just stay there and try to comfort the Gryffindor. He knew that whatever her problem was at the moment, she didn't need sugar-coated words. She just needed someone to be there for her, and Conan was not about to leave her during this time. He remained silent, continuously stroking her back and bringing strands of her hair behind her ear. He reached for his pocket and grabbed his own handkerchief, placing it in Taylor's hands gently.

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor saw Conan coming towards her, he seemed to realise that she was crying, because he hadn't said a word. When he sat down next to her and started rubbing her back and fixing her hair, Taylor found that her tears were starting again. This was just so hard. She wanted to hug Conan and cry into his shoulder, but she didn't know if that was appropriate. They were older now. This kind of thing suddenly meant so much more. It was hard to say the least. She held the handkerchief that Conan handed her and put it against her eyes. She was incredibly relieved that it was just her eyes and not her nose as well. She didn't want to be all snot faced. That would be the worst thing in the world. She may not be completely girly yet. But she was definitely in to the makeup and stuff that other girls were into. Well, at least a little of it anyway. She was sure she looked terrible. The hand rubbing her back was very soothing and she was feeling as cold any more either. She sniffled a little shook her head. Who cares what others say. She wanted to hug Conan and so she was going to do it. She moved closer to Conan and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. She used to do this with Corey or Lewis, but they were not around anymore and it was different with Conan not being family. She was sure Ai would be angry about this, but she didn't care. She needed this. Nothing was going to fix it.

Taylor didn't know how long she was like that, but eventually her tears stopped and she lifted her head up. She was glad Conan was here, and not some other person. She wiped at her eyes. "Thankyou Conan. I appreciate it." The rubbing was in fact very soothing and she found herself rather enjoying it. Why didn't Deme do this for her. He usually just sat there. He would sometimes allow her to hug him, but he wouldn't do anything else. Sure, he was a good friend and an amazing listener. "That was very kind of you to stay with me like this. I'm glad it was you and not some-one else." She sniffed again slightly and wrapped her arms around her body, listing her legs to her chest protectively.​

 

[Professor Conan Edogawa]

Conan never left and never said a word the whole time. He knew, or at least though, that Taylor needed silence and comfort more than sugar-coated words. She just needed to know that somebody was there for her and seeing as nobody else was there, Conan made sure that he was there the whole time for her. He didn't stop rubbing her back or fixing her hair, he just stayed there to make sure she didn't feel alone with her problems, whatever it was. Although, Conan was caught by surprised when Taylor hugged him and buried her face in his chest. He didn't mind, it was alright for him. He let her bury her face and hug him as he wrapped her arms around her, stroking her hair in the process.

Conan didn't know how long they were hugging, but he didn't mind at the least.Taylor needed him and he would be there for her, just like she was there for him when he needed somebody. "It's okay. You don't have to thank me," he said with a gentle smile as he watched her wipe her eyes. "I just can't leave you alone now can I?" he said as he watched her with a gentle look on his face, one he thought was gone already. He watched her silently, staying there with her. He would certainly leave it to her to decide if she was going to tell him everything or not, but no matter what, he will stay there until she didn't need him anymore.

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor sighed and smiled at Conan's words. She was glad she had a friend with her at this time. She was glad it was Conan because he would talk to her. Deme would just sit there, Conan was actually probably the best person to have with her at the moment. So she was fairly relaxed at the moment. She turned to Conan and presented him with a photo she had in her pocket. It was of her parents. The last picture she had taken of them. She was standing between them. They looked a little distracted, but it had only been taken a few weeks before they were killed. She ran her hand over it and looked at Conan. "My parents... they're dead Conan." She told him as she looked intensely at the photo. "I told you once that I didn't live with my parents?" She asked as she sniffed again. "This is why." She pointed to a sign that clearly read St Mungos: Spell Damage. Ward 5 She shrugged. "My parents were tortured by Scitorari members when I was six. I father was an Auror and my mother a Healer. So they were taken to St Mungo's and I was sent to live with my Aunt and Uncle." She told him, hugging herself. "They were killed in a fire a couple of weeks before school resumed." She couldn't continue. It was too painful
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[Professor Conan Edogawa]

Conan listened to Taylor as she explained what happened. Taylor lost her parents, and Conan knew how it felt to lose both parents. He lost his eight years ago, he and Ai never grew up without their parents, they grew up with their aunt and uncle like Taylor did. He knew how hurt Taylor was, he knew it all too well. Conan stroked her back as she struggled to explain to him, she didn't need to explain anything in his own opinion as he looked at the picture. The Hufflepuff listened, he stayed silent as the Gryffindor spoke and when he thought she couldn't bear to continue any longer, he couldn't help but pull he into a hug and stroke her hair once again. "Shhhh... It's okay. You don't have to tell me everything," he whispered to her. "I know it hurts to tell. I know it all too well, Taylor. You don't have to force yourself. You can tell me when you're ready, but not now," he said calmly. Taylor was a nice girl, sure she and Ai would fight, but no one deserved to lose their parents, especially at a young age.

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor sighed and leaned into Conan as he soothed her once again. She was glad that he was there to comfort her. She could tell that he was different to Ai in many ways, most noticeable was that he was nice to her. She still wasn't sure why Ai hated her so much, but she didn't really care. She had spent all of second and third year being upset about it, but now, she really just wanted to focus on the friendships that she had. It was much easier then worrying about things she ought not to be concerned about. After all, she had friends that fed certain needs. No one of her friends had everything that she needed. Conan was a great listener and he was soothing and refreshing. Deme was serious and a hard worker. He kept her hard working. Hayley was a but of a handful and not really considerable as a friend, but she made sure that Taylor appreciated all that she had. How could she not with her being so prejudiced about everything. She nodded and sniffed when Conan spoke to her. He knew what to say. She could tell that he knew her pain. It was a sad thing to happen to people to lose their parents. But they had been so young. She wiped her eyes again and smiled up at Conan. She knew what Ai thought of them. But she was just jealous, Conan was a dear friend, but that was all. She shook her head. She didn't need those thoughts. She was with Conan, not Ai. None of this mattered now. "Thanks Conan. I appreciate all this. I really do." She smiled. It was a sad smile, but she truly was happy to have him here.
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[Professor Conan Edogawa]

Conan didn't let go of Taylor until she pulled away from him by herself. She was struggling, that much he was certain, but all he could do was to be there for her. "You're welcome, Taylor," he said with a gentle smile. Conan remained silent for a good while and silence settled the both of them. The Hufflepuff didn't like it. Silence seemed to make things gloomy, and he or Taylor certainly didn't need it at the moment. "So, Taylor, do you have any plans today and tomorrow?" he asked a tinge of curiosity and excitement filled his voice. He wasn't really sure why he was asking her and what he would do if she said that she indeed had no plans. He was basically doing things on impulse at the moment, but he didn't care. For now, it was about Taylor and not about him. While classes were not starting yet, he would made sure that she didn't feel lonely at all.

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor smiled, she was a little happier then she had been previously with having her dear friend here to comfort her. She flicked her curly hair over her shoulder and wiped her eyes again. She was really sad by her parents deaths, and a much as she thought she wanted to be alone, the more time she spent with Conan, the more she realised that she really did not mind having him with her. She stayed silent after that, just thinking about the last days she had spent with her parents, it would have been about a week before the incident, at the time of the photo that she had shown Conan. She slipped it into her pocket and closed her eyes, smiling as her parents immediately showed themselves to her. She knew it would not last, but at least for now, she could feel happy being able to sit with a friend and talk. She was lucky in that they could just sit in silence and not feel awkward. However when he spoke, she opened one eye and peeked at him from it. She shook her head. She hadn't really had any plans on what she was she was going to do after. "I had not planned anything. Why do you ask? You want to do something?"
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[Professor Conan Edogawa]

Conan didn't really have any plans everyday. Basically it would just be sit in class and stay in bed for the Hufflepuff, so he was vacant most of the time. As well as bored. So when Taylor told him that she was free, it meant that they could spend some time together, but the boy wasn't really sure on what to do afterwards. "Well, I was thinking of spending time with you before class starts," Conan told the Gryffindor casually. Surely, it wouldn't be bad to take Taylor's mind off of things for a while. She looked like she had been thinking about her parents the whole time since she found out and it was making Conan worried. "Well, yeah, but I don't really know what to do so I'll ask you instead," the boy said with a jolly grin, trying to cheer Taylor up. "So, what do you wanna do Taylor?"

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor didn't now why Conan wanted to hang out with her whilst she was depressed, but she wasn't going to just blow him off either. She ran her fingers through the tips of her hair. It was a mess, she could tell that, but at the moment she didn't care. She was miserable, that was true, but being with Conan, it just made her feel so much better about everything. She smiled lightly when he told her that he had been thinking of spending time with her. It made her kind of happy, she was sure she would be happier at some point in her life. Right now though, she was just happy to have someone who understood what she was going through. She took Conan's hand and smiled at him, standing up and pulling him with her. She had an idea about where she wanted to go, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to take him with her. She usually liked to go there by herself. She had taught her friend to swim at this part of the lake. It was close to the forbidden forest which is why people didn't go there too often, but t could be fun to go skipping stones. "Would you like to come and skip stones with me? I know this great place. And... it helps me to feel calm." She told him, looking at the sky.
​

 

[Professor Conan Edogawa]

Conan wasn't really sure whether if spending time with Taylor right now would be good for the Gryffindor or not. But either way, he just had to try. There was no harm in trying, wasn't there? Conan shrugged off all the negative thoughts in his head. He didn't need those right now. No one needed them right now. The Hufflepuff was quite surprised when he felt Taylor take his hand and stand up, and he spent no time in following her to stand as well. "Well, sure. Let's go skip stones then. I'm not very good at it anymore though," he smiled jokingly and watched her look at the sky before doing the same. "I wonder if my parents are up there," he whispered mostly to himself as he watched the sky beside Taylor, remembering his own late parents in the process.

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor nodded as Conan agreed to skip stones with her, she then watched him as he looked up to the sky with her. He wondered if his parents were up there. She smiled. She believed that her own were, so there was no reason to think that his would not be. She looked at him again. "There is no reason to believe that they are not watching you. I know mine are right now. Not that it makes me feel any less sad." She told him frowning. She shook her head and tugged on his hand. "Come on, let's not talk about this. Lets go bury some stones!" She was trying to be happy, though, how happy she could be with all that was happening, she didn't know.​

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Taylor stopped once she got to the lake front. She loved the way the water sparkled in the light, it was why she loved this place so much, even though she could practically reach out her hand and touch the darkness of the forbidden forest, she didn't mind, she liked this side of the Lake and it was the best part. No pesky submerged rocks to get in the way of a good skip. She looked around the bank, hoping to spot a couple of skippable stones and smiled when she found a pile from last time. She pulled Conan closer to them and pointed them out. "This is a pile of really good stones, so we should use these, what do you think?" She asked smiling at him.​

 

[Professor Conan Edogawa]

Conan was feeling a bit relieved and glad that Taylor was already trying to be happy. But she need not force herself around him, that's for sure. But, the Hufflepuff couldn't help but be glad that she was trying although he never knew for how long the Gryffindor would be able to put up with it. Conan could only chuckle softly as Taylor led the way to the lakefront. It was a wonderful sight indeed. The darkness of the forbidden forest right beside the shimmering lake was no match to the light and beauty the view was offering the both of them. The boy watched as Taylor looked around, searching, and didn't mind tagging along as she pulled him. The Hufflepuff took a good look at the pile of stones and nodded. "Yeah, they seem nice and skippable," he said, not caring if what he said was a real word or not. The young boy took a few steps back and removed his shoes and sock, putting it at a safe distance from the water, before folding his pants up and going back to the pile of stones and picking up a few, handing some to his Gryffindor companion.

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor nodded when Conan commented on the stones. Of course they were skippable. Was that even a word? She took off of her shoes and socks and rolled up her own pants. The sudden contact with the cool air made her shiver and she looked over with Conan, taking the stones he offered and standing about half a meter from the waters edge. She tilted her head to the side as she tried to decide where she wanted to throw the stone and quickly skipped it at the water. The first one skipped only once and then sank into the water. She looked back at Conan. "By the way, is skippable a word?" She asked as she played with another stone that was sitting in her palm. She tossed it towards the water and watched it skip a couple of times before sinking. She had gotten this one further at least. "Hey Conan... do you-" She shook her head cutting off her sentence. She was going to ask him if he missed Ai, but she didn't think she should. It would be better if she just remained silent about it. "Never mind, forget I said anything." She frowned, why had she brought it up? Now she couldn't stop thinking about how she blamed herself for their falling out. Sh*t had gone down, Ai hadn't apologised and stuff had happened. She sighed and skipped another stone. Today could not possiby get any worse.
​

 

[Professor Conan Edogawa]

Conan let his feet get under the water as he watched Taylor remove her socks and fold up her own pants before taking some of the stones in his own hand. The young boy then made sure that the stones were in his left hand before taking one for his right and tossing it in the air before catching it in his hand again. And after a few repetitions of his action, he decided to try skipping a stone. Luckily, the stone had skipped a few times before finally sinking. The Hufflepuff was quite enjoying the little activity and had barely managed to hear Taylor's question. Conan just cracked a playful grin, "I have no idea. English is not my first language," he said in a rather teasing way as if the answer had depended on the Gryffindor. The boy then took another stone and skipped in the water before hearing Taylor cut her question short. "Yeah?" he asked curiously until Taylor decided to drop the topic. And he might as well, too. "Alright, but remember that you can always tell me anything, Taylor," he said with a cheeky grin before skipping another stone in the water and watching it sink.

 

[Taylor Blare-Edogawa]

Taylor sighed as she looked out at the lake. What was she even doing anymore? This wasn't fair on her, on Conan or on anyone else either. Her grades were slipping, her life is shattered. Did she even deserve the rest of today? She looked at Conan and shook her head. She was not going to continue with her question at all. She sighed again and dropped the rest of the rocks in the water. Thinking about Ai only made her sad and angry. She knew what Conan said to be true, but right now she was not sure that she really believed in it. It wasn't through any fault of any one but herself. She walked over to her shoes and pulled them on. "I think it might be better if I go back to my common room. I'm sorry I dragged you out here." She was just going to have to figure some way that she could get over herself and get on with her life. She nodded to Conan, a sad smile on her face as she proceeded to head back to the castle. Whether he was following or not she did not know, she just had to get away.

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Fin​

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