Closed Picking the Strings

[Kira Wolf]

It had been a long day. Kira had somehow managed to spend most of it by herself. She was slowly starting to numb herself to the feeling of being rejected so harshly by Caelan. She knew she had a long way to go, but she had finally managed to start letting him go. It had been a few months since Brightstone, and Yule ball was fast approaching. She found the common room empty, and not wanting to sit around as she usually did, she took her old guitar up to the towers. She took a seat near the edge, looking up into the night sky as she began to play beneath the stars.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

With exams around the corner, his father urging him to finish his assignments for the planetarium and looking for universities to apply for after graduation next year, Arcturus was rather busy that day. Deciding that now would be a good time to do his father's work, the sun had already set when he finished dinner, the teen went all the way back up to the common room to fetch his notes and calculations and telescope from his trunk. The towers would be the best place to go to, well, actually the Astronomy classroom would be the best possible place to work with his telescope, but something told him that Professor Harrington would not like any students in her classroom when it was wasn't being used for classes. It'd do fine, for now, it was definitely high enough. As he rounded the corner, he spotted his friend sitting near the edge, looking up into the night sky, coincidentally where he wanted to sit as well. ''I didn't you played the guitar?'' Arcturus said as he approached her, smiling at his friend.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira glanced up at Arcturus, startled to see him. "Oh, Arc, hello," She greeted with a soft smile, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, it's been a while since I've played." She patted the spot next to her, inviting him over to sit next to her. "What are you doing up here?" She questioned. She looked up to the stars, shutting her eyes and taking in a breath. The breeze blew softly through her hair. "It's pretty quiet up here, I like it," She smiled warmly, feeling content.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

Arcturus furrowed his brown when he noticed that he had startled Kira. ''What? I cannot be that scary'' he said, grinningly. He tried to remember if he'd seen her with a guitar before but failed to do so. He showed her the telescope and notes he was holding onto and said, ''I wanted to get some work for my father done tonight. Figured I might do so now before we start studying for exams and all.'' placing his things on the floor as he went to sit next to her on the edge. ''It really is,'' he murmured, watching her instead of the night sky. ''So, do you come here often?'' he asked, ''Or were you just that bored without Sapphire or me around?'' he added, jokingly.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira smiled, automatically leaning against him a little a few moments after he sat down. "I used to come up here a lot when I was younger," she told him, "I was always either here or the gardens. I was nervous being away from the Inn, but I used to garden with Tyra and Jason and I used to watch the stars a lot," She sighed softly, looking up at the skies. "Oh, hey," She sat up a little, studying a point in the sky. "I might be wrong," she started, before pointing out a star, "But that is Arcturus, isn't it?" She turned to him with a small smile. "It's always been a favorite of mine, back when I was younger. I could see it through the window when I'm home and it was always comforting," She laughed a little, laying her head on his shoulder. "Ironic, isn't it? I had the star as a kid and then I found you here," She didn't mention that she'd gotten the most comfort from them in the darkest times in her life; the star after her parents had died and Arc now that Caelan had left her.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

Arcturus listened attentively and smiled when she leaned against him for a moment. He liked their friendship at the moment, it was nice to have someone to hang around with. He picked up his telescope and installed it on the spot so he could get a better look at the star she was pointing towards. ''You're right, that is Arcturus,'' the teen said, looking through the telescope, trying his best not to damage his glasses whilst doing so. He looked back up at Kira when she told him that it had always been her favourite star and said, ''As its namesake, I totally agree with you.'' with a slight smirk on his face. He blushed at what she said next, turning away from his friend so that she would not nice his face. Looking back through the telescope and making some adjustments to shake it off. ''You don't mind me doing some work here, right? If so, you should tell me, I'd happily leave you alone if you need some time to yourself,'' he told her, writing some things down on his notebook by using his knee for support in the meantime.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira smiled, glad she had it right. She giggled at his smirk, leaning back and looking to the night sky. She smiled as he asked if he could do some work. "No, go ahead. I don't mind at all. I like spending time with you," She smiled at him. She let him work in silence for a little bit, before picking her guitar back up and starting to play again. This was nice, she hadn't felt so relaxed in a while. Well, other than when they were cuddling on the couch. But that didn't count.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

He smiled when she told him that he could resume doing what he was doing, adjusting the telescope every so often to look at a certain star. It wasn't all as high tech as he wanted, hence why he really wanted to work at the planetarium, but his equipment would do fine for what he was supposed to do, which was to check if everything was still in the right place at the right time. He listened to her play in the meantime, finding it rather pleasant to work with. ''I certainly didn't know that you played so well,'' he said, looking over his shoulder at Kira. ''You've got to teach me that someday.''

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira smiled at his compliment, moving on to a new song. "Thank you," She murmured, glancing up at him. "If you really want to learn I could probably teach you. I'm not as good as Sapphire is," She chuckled, "But it helps with the sleepless nights sometimes. I fell out of practice for a bit, but I like to think I'm picking it back up again." She smiled, setting the guitar aside once she had finished the song and scooting closer. "What are you doing?" She inquired, genuinely interested in his work.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

''Of course, I'd want to learn,'' the Ravenclaw said whilst looking through the telescope again. ''It would be fun, although it would probably take me ages.'' It would also be a good way to distract her even more from everything, though he wasn't going to tell her that. He continued to listen to her, nodding and looking over his shoulder towards her. ''Oh, eh, well, a bunch of years ago they reported that the magnetic field is shifting, which causes our compasses to act a little strange, as it is not showing us what's north and south etcetera properly. In recent years they have been trying to figure out if it's just the magnetic field shifting or if it's actually the earth. Of course, it might be the result of global warming, but one can never be one hundred percent sure.'' he told her. It was ridiculous of course, the earth couldn't shift like that, at least not without some catastrophic incident happening, but he supposed that they had to give him something do to, even if he was that they already knew the answer to it. still, he was enjoying himself, it was better than doing nothing.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira tucked her hair behind her ear, thinking it over. "Well, I'm sure we can figure out where to add in guitar lessons." She gave him a small smile. She listened intently as he told her what he was doing. She moved to sit next to him, looking up to the sky. "So you're documenting the position of the stars to see if there are any changes," She shivered a little as another breeze ruffled her hair, getting a hair tie from her pocket so she could pull it back up into a ponytail. "Has anything shifted?" She asked him.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

Arcturus smiled back at his friend, already excited about learning how the play the guitar from her. He nodded. ''Basically, yeah, that's what I'm doing. I've been writing down their positions and then comparing them to see if something has changed or not,'' Arcturus told her. He shook his head at the question. ''According to the calculations, it's all still where it needs to be at this time of the year.'' He didn't expect things to have changed, though it definitely was a good sign that all the stars were still in the same position as before. It'd be worrisome otherwise. He let go of the telescope and stepped aside to let Kira take a look for herself. ''If you look closely,'' Arcturus adjusted the telescope a bit, ''You can see Acrux, one of the five main stars of the Southern Cross. You should also be able to see the others too, though they're not as bright. But that might just be the quality of this telescope.'' He was pointing at the point in the sky she could see the star.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira smiled, stepping up to the telescope. She leaned over, looking to the star with a small smile on her face. "Acrux is actually multiple stars, isn't it?" She questioned, not sure if her knowledge was still reliable after all this time. "Then there's the coalsack nebula and the Kappa Crucis cluster," She murmured, half to Arc and half to herself, smiling before stepping back and looking towards him with a small smile. "I'm a little rusty with my stars, don't mind me," she apologized shyly. He was definitely going to laugh at her.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

''That's right,'' Arcturus replied, nodding his head. ''It's the reason why Acrux one of the brightest stars in the sky. In fact, it's the fourteenth brightest star in the sky.'' It was a surprise that she knew that it was a multiple-star system, to be sure, but a welcome one. He nodded again when she pointed out the Coalsack Nebula and Kappa Crucis Cluster in the Crux Constellation only to realise that she couldn't see him do so. ''No need to worry,'' the teen told Kira when she looked at him, smiling back at her encouragingly. ''It's not as rusty as you think it is.'' Taking the telescope back from her, Arcturus finished the last of his calculations before turning his attention back to her. ''So, really weird idea here,'' he began. ''What if we would go to the Yule Ball together? You know, to have fun and forget about everything that has happened lately. Just as friends, of course,'' he added quickly before she could blow him off. Besides, both of them deserved a break after those hours of working on school assignments and such.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira smiled as he reaffirmed what she'd thought, looking up to the stars as he went back to the telescope. She looked back to him, tilting her head as he said he had a weird idea. She blinked at his question, a little surprised even after he said it was just as friends. "Oh, as friends?" She hesitated a second, thinking of Marcos. "Sure, I would like that. It's been a while since I've gone with a friend," She felt her spirits sinking a little, and not because she would be going to the ball without Caelan. Well, maybe a little. But it was more... quiet insecurity that was pushing it's way to the service. "Hey, Arcturus?" She started, biting her lip as she hesitated. "I know we've been talking more lately... this isn't just... some passing fancy, is it? Like... you're not going to just stop talking to me again, are you?" She looked away, rubbing her arm. "I lost Marcos and Norton when they graduated, I've barely heard from them, and Theodore is... kinda my friend but I'm sure he'll forget me when he graduates this year, too, and Caelan..." She wrapped her arms around herself, not looking at him. "I'm... a little worried you're going to get tired of me and leave me behind, the same way the rest of them did..." She admitted gently, taking a small step back.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

Arcturus smiled when she told him that she would like to go to the ball with him as friends. With all the assignments from his father and the exams, the Ravenclaw could use a breather. It would be a fun night for sure. He looked back up at Kira when she said his name and listened attentively. ''I think it'd be quite impossible for me to avoid you or something like that seeing as we are in the same house and in the same year. And I won't leave you behind unless you start saying that the earth is flat, of course, so you better not deny that it is round,'' Arcturus told her, turning towards his friend now. ''And hold up, I wasn't the only one who stopped talking, remember?'' Of course, the fact that he put even more time in his studies hadn't helped one bit, but she could've reached out to him any time she liked. ''Okay, perhaps I fancy you a little bit, but I've been here for you as a friend and just that ever since all the stuff with Caelan went down. We're going as friends but if I do try anything funny you have my permission to, I don't know, hit me or something.'' the teen told his friend. He knew that she wasn't ready for a relationship just yet so could do nothing but respect that.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira couldn't help but giggle a little at his joke. "I could never," she put a hand over her heart dramatically, "We both know that the earth is riding on the back of a giant turtle," she teased. She hesitated, relaxing at his words. "I suppose you're right," she conceded with a small smile.

What he said next though startled her, and she looked up at him for a moment with wide eyes. He... fancied her? A blush rose to her cheeks and she looked away. "Wait, you- I don't- you never-" she took a breath, twirling her hair around her finger. "I... thank you," she managed softly. "For... for respecting my boundaries, I dont know what I..." she bit her lip, her mind whirling.

She wasnt ready for another relationship. But Arcturus was so safe, and warm, and he felt like home- no, she couldnt possibly- he was her friend, she needed him, she didnt want to jeopardize that. She couldnt make heads or tails of her emotions, and after a few moments, Kira hesitantly reached out, lightly brushing her hand against his.

"Arc, I... I need some time. Would... would you wait for me?" She requested gently, her eyes widening a moment later as she realized what she had asked.

Kira gasped, taking a step back. "I, no, that is so selfish of me, I- forget I said anything, I'm sorry, I- I should go," she bit her lip, turning to flee.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

Arcturus laughed at what Kira said. ''On the back of a giant turtle? We're not living in the Discworld universe, K,'' he replied. He was glad that she seemed to trust him on his word and smiled back at her, though what happened next changed the mood drastically. In hindsight, telling her that he did fancy her a little might not have been the best thing to do. But then again, how was he supposed to know that she would ask him to wait for her. ''Wai-.'' the teen cut himself off before he could tell her to wait. He wanted to stop her from going to talk about it but he could not bring himself to stop her from fleeing. What was he supposed to say to something like that? It wasn't completely selfish of her because he knew that she wasn't ready to jump into another relationship so quickly. If anything, he had been the selfish one when he admitted to her that he fancied her.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira made it a little ways away, stopping to grab her guitar. She hesitated there, taking a few deep breaths with her back turned. "Arc..." she started, biting her lip. "I... I dont know what I feel. But... I do care about you. And I dont want to lose you. I just... I need a little bit of time to get my head straight." She ran her thumb over the wood of the guitar neck. "Um, maybe, we can do a guitar lesson saturday after lunch?" She offered softly, giving him some middle ground if he wanted it.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

''It's fine, Kira, I get it. Don't worry.'' Arcturus told her with a reassuring smile. He didn't expect her to know how she felt about it nor did he expect her to like him back in that way, not after everything that had happened with Caelan. Her friendship was more than enough at the moment. ''I'd love that, yeah. Do you need me to bring anything along with me?'' he asked, happy that she was still offering to help him in learning how to play the guitar. He hoped that it wouldn't change their current dynamic, him admitting that he fancied her a little, as he saw no reason for it to do so at all. He'd still be her friend any day of the week regardless of how she felt about him.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira relaxed visibly, standing with her guitar and giving him a soft smile. "Just you," she told him. She hesitated a second before stepping forward and laying her head on his chest. "Did you finish the charms assignment?" She asked idly, making sure to turn things back to how they usually were.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

Arcturus put an arm around her when she laid her head against his chest and nodded at her question. It was nice to know that Kira did not want to make this awkward. "I think so, yeah," he said, letting go of her again. "At least I hope so, I haven't really put work in it. What about you?" They had done some of the assignment together but he had been to busy with other assignments as well.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira smiled softly up at him as she took a step back, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I've almost finished it." She replied, pausing to yawn. "Goodness. I think I'm going to go curl up on the couch for a bit and watch the fire. Do you wanna come too, or...?" She hesitated, maybe he hadn't finished with his stargazing things.

 

[Arcturus Rabson]

Arcturus grinned when she yawned. ''Tired already? Dang, K.'' To be fair, it was only a few more minutes until the curfew would go in. He shook his head. ''No, I think that I will stay up here a little longer. I want to make sure that my calculations are correct before handing it in. I'll see you in the common room once I'm done here?'' Arcturus asked, thinking that they could hang out before going to bed.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira raised a brow, her lips quirking up in a slight smile. " 'K'?" She questioned, biting back the urge to giggle. She had been given a few nicknames. Key, kiki, RaRa by the triplets. K was a new one. She hesitated as he said he'd be here a bit longer. She was tempted to stay and watch the stars with him. She bit her lip, chewing her lip a second. "Well... if it's okay, maybe I can stay? I'll stay out of the way," she offered, giving him a small smile.